Monday 29th January - Sunday 4th February 2024.

Consumer Awareness Week is an annual campaign run by Citizens Advice in collaboration with the Consumer Protection Partnership (CPP), which includes Trading Standards and the Department for Business and Trade. The main aims of the Consumer Week campaign are to:

• Increase awareness and understanding with consumers on how to shop wisely, what to look out for, and what to do if things go wrong
• Educate consumers on their rights, particularly when shopping from online marketplaces
• Empower consumers to seek a remedy if things go wrong
• Raise awareness of where consumers can go if they need more advice and help with an issue

Across this week of our Consumer Awareness campaign, we’re encouraging consumers to know their rights when shopping including what to do if they run into issues after purchasing; complaints around defective goods or substandard services, and sellers failing to deliver.

With the key shopping times of Christmas and the January sales just gone, we’re here to advise you

With the key shopping times of Christmas and the January sales just gone, we’re here to advise people on what to do if things go wrong when shopping or if something you ordered didn’t deliver, how to return faulty goods and how to shop safely and stay aware of scams.

Here are a few top tips to help you shop safely this year

1. Delivery problems
   • It’s the seller’s responsibility to make sure the item is delivered to you. Check the delivery address you gave the seller and contact them to ask where your order is. 
   • If the seller claims they've delivered it or don't know where it is, you can ask for a redelivery. You might be able to get a refund in some circumstances.

2. Defective goods
   If something’s gone wrong with an item you’ve bought, you might be entitled to a refund, repair or replacement. You’ll have legal rights if the item you bought is:
   • broken or damaged (not of satisfactory quality)
   • unusable (not fit for purpose)
   • not what was advertised or doesn’t match the seller’s description

3. What if I change my mind?
   • If you buy in-store, you don’t have a legal right to return goods if you’ve simply changed your mind. Lots of shops have their own policies and do allow this, but time limits can vary.
   • If you buy online you usually get a right to cancel, known as a cooling off period, but there are exemptions including bespoke or personalised goods, and computer software where the seal is broken.

4. Pay safe
   • Pay by card so you have another form of protection if there’s a problem. The other way would be by making a chargeback or section 75 claim to your card provider. 
   • Be cautious if you’re asked to pay in an unusual way such as in iTunes vouchers, cryptocurrency or via bank transfer as this could be a sign of a scam. 

5. Making a return
   • Get proof of your return - a receipt from a shop or proof of postage. If you pay for return postage check the service you use covers the value of the goods.
   • Using a service that includes tracking means you can prove when a trader received your return. 

For information and advice, visit the Consumer pages of the National Citizens Advice website.