Martin Lewis has issued a crucial reminder to shoppers regarding their consumer rights, following concerns about misleading information circulating online. The money-saving expert shared the guidance on his BBC podcast after a listener reported a retailer refusing returns on sale items and delivery fee refunds, which contradicted UK legislation.
Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, online customers are entitled to a 14-day cooling-off period on purchases and can claim back standard delivery costs. Mr Lewis confirmed: 'You are absolutely right. If you buy something online, unless it's personalised or perishable, then you have a 14-day no fault right to notify them that you're returning it, and then another 14 days after you notified them in which to send it back, and you should get the basic delivery charge back.'
Mr Lewis warned that many online retailers display incorrect returns information. The Money Saving Expert team examined 400 brands and found 30 contained inaccurate policies, giving customers 'worse rights than you have under the law'. After intervention, 28 corrected their terms; the remaining two went out of business. He noted that Trading Standards often lack resources to handle such complaints.
In a subsequent podcast episode, Mr Lewis revealed that the listener's issue had been resolved. The retailer initially stated 'you can return your items within 14 days of purchase' while also claiming 'sales items are non-returnable', which Mr Lewis labelled 'incorrect'. That misleading clause has now been removed from the website.
Mr Lewis also reminded consumers of the 'SAD FART' acronym, which highlights that products must be of satisfactory quality, as described, fit for purpose, and last a reasonable length of time. If an item fails these standards, shoppers may be entitled to a refund or replacement.
