Martin Lewis gives crucial warning over returning unwanted Christmas presents

Christmas is fast approaching, with shoppers across the country taking to high streets and e-retailers to buy presents for their loved ones.

The UK is expected to spend £88.29bn on Christmas this year, rising 4 per cent from 2023, research from experian shows. Presents will form a major part of spending plans, meaning shoppers should be aware of potential pitfalls.

Luckily, money expert Martin Lewis has shared his tips for ensuring your Christmas present purchases go smoothly this year. Writing on his Money Saving Expert email, he says “it’s more important than ever at this time of year” to know your consumer rights.

Here are the top tips:

Many people believe they have an automatic right to return a product for a refund after they make a purchase – but this is not the case. Buying something in a store only legally entitles customers to a refund if the product is faulty.

Research from Money Saving Expert shows that only 50 per cent of their readers were aware of this.

However, the law does change if a store has a returns policy as this will form part of the purchase contract. In many cases this will allow you to make a return for up to 30 days for any reason, but won’t necessarily be the case and should be checked first.

Shoppers should also check the return rules during sale events. Some retailers will change their policies on reduced items, such as reduced time to return, or no returns entirely.

Shoppers generally have greater rights when making purchases online than in-store, Mr Lewis explains. There is a legal right to return orders made online even if you’ve just changed your mind, with exceptions like perishable or personalised items.

However, this does not mean there aren’t things to be aware of. The rules stipulate that shoppers have 14 days to notify a store of the intent to return, and a further 14 to make the return, so a total of 28 days.

Stores which claim to require returns to be made quicker than this cannot legally enforce these policies, the money expert explains. They should be challenged if they refuse a refund on these grounds.

Another thing to be aware of are shipping costs. Shoppers are legally entitled to the a refund equalling the full price of the item plus the minimum delivery cost that they were offered.

But there is no guarantee of a refund on the cost of shipping items back to the retailer. Some will cover the cost, but many won’t, and if you’re purchase came from abroad this can lead to a fairly big bill.

There are specific rules around when an item counts as faulty. Changing your mind, realising you prefer a different colour or that an item doesn’t fit will not automatically secure an in-store discount. Although one possible exception may be where the fit of an item is radically different to how it was described.

Whether a faulty item is bought in-store or online, shoppers have 30 days to return them. The criteria Mr Lewis describes is:

When returning an item, you will only need proof of purchase (such as a credit card statement) and not necessarily the receipt.

Sometimes, even if an item becomes faulty beyond its stated warranty, consumers can still successfully return it. For instance, if a product stops working just after the warranty expires, a refused return could be challenged.

Finally, as we approach Christmas, shoppers should be aware that gift-receivers do not have any rights to return items. Return rights will generally only apply to the person who purchased the product.

Most shops will allow someone else to make the return if they have a receipt, but some don’t. To be safe, Mr Lewis recommends getting a gift receipt which transfers the purchase rights to the gift recipient.

For your guide to the best Christmas gifts this year, visit IndyBest’s handy guides