Home >> Law, your rights and citizenship >> Data Base - law, your rights and citizenship >> Shopping rights

When you buy something, you enter into a contract with the seller, and this means you have certain rights.  To protect your rights, you should know that:

• The goods you buy have to be safe to use and in satisfactory condition.
  
• If they are damaged, the seller should point this out to you before you buy.
  
• If the goods turn out to be faulty, you should get your money back, or the seller should replace or repair them.
  
• Your complaint needs to be sorted out with the seller - not the manufacturer.  Even if you have a manufacturer's guarantee, it is still the seller who sorts it out.  Make your complaint as soon as possible.
  
• The seller must not mislead the buyer.  This means that the seller cannot give false information about the good, or about its price. 
  
• If you buy goods through a private seller - be careful.  The seller only has to make sure that the goods are sold as they were described.  Take a witness and get a written description of the item for sale, so that if you later find a fault, you can claim your money or the cost of repair back.
  
• Don't pay a deposit on anything unless you really have to.  If a company goes out of business, or you change your mind about buying the item, you'll lose your money.
  
• If you order something, make sure you fix a date by which time the goods will arrive. Get it in writing so that if it doesn't arrive, you can cancel your order.
  
• Keep your receipts and any other records that prove you've bought the goods.
  
• If you want to make a complaint about goods you've bought, speak to the shop manager.  If this doesn't work, take it to the customer services manager or the head office, if there is one.
  
• If you are still unsatisfied, you may want to take up your claim in court.  You can get more information at your local citizens advice bureau.

 

 

 

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