Black Friday (29th November) is big business for UK retailers. With more than one in four (27%) shoppers taking part online and nearly one in ten (8%) taking part in store in 2018¹, an increasing number of UK retailers are competing to offer savings for potential customers.

Experts at The University of Law, the UK’s longest-established specialist provider of legal education and training in the UK, has shared advice to help consumers understand what their rights are as shoppers when buying in the Black Friday sales, and how they can deal with any potential issues.

Your 30-day purchase protection period
No matter what you purchased, whether it was on the high-street or from an online retailer, you are protected under the Consumer Rights Act. The Act came into force in 2015, so any products purchased during the Black Friday period will be covered by this act.

In the first instance if you have an issue with a purchase, whether it is faulty, the wrong product or you just aren’t satisfied, go back to the retailer. Under the Consumer Rights Act, shoppers have 30 days to raise any issues with retailers. You still have rights after these 30 days, but retailers now have the option to repair and replace instead of refund, so waste no time if you aren’t 100% satisfied with a product.

Your additional online purchase protection
With shoppers looking to avoid queues and hectic high streets, many will turn to online shopping to score some Black Friday deals. If you purchase items from an online retailer that doesn’t necessarily have a physical store, such as ASOS or Amazon, it doesn’t mean that returning goods should be a complicated process.

When purchasing items online, shoppers are covered by the Consumer Contracts Regulation. This regulation means shoppers who purchase items online have additional rights on top of the Consumer Rights Act. Under the regulation, online retailers must adhere to a certain standard when selling items, such as listing adequate product information, having clear pricing, details about delivery and returns, and providing information on the right for customers to cancel. If purchasing online on Black Friday, ensure the retailer has listed all the necessary information.

The Consumer Contracts Regulation also allows shoppers to cancel any online order at any time, from the moment they have paid for it up to 14 days from the date the goods were delivered to them.

Your digital content cover
Many people aren’t aware that since 2015, the Consumer Rights Act also offers protection for any digital purchases. This means that retailers of e-books, apps, games, music, or films online have one chance to repair or replace the digital content, before a refund can be issued – so a refund may not be the first option when purchasing digital content.

For more news from The University of Law, visit: https://www.law.ac.uk/