Financial journalist Martin Lewis has taken direct action against two prominent high street brands, publicly announcing he has reported them to Trading Standards for maintaining misleading online returns policies.
The On-Air Confrontation
During a live broadcast of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live on ITV, the money expert looked directly into the camera to address the companies. "Evans and Carluccio's, you are wrong. Your websites are misleading, change them please. I have reported you to Trading Standards," he stated firmly.
The audience in Manchester responded with warm applause, supporting his strong stance on consumer rights, which was particularly timely as Brits begin their Christmas shopping.
The Original Investigation and Outstanding Offenders
This confrontation follows a major investigation conducted in the summer by Lewis's website, Money Saving Expert. The team researched over 400 of the UK's most popular retail brands and identified 30 that were providing inaccurate information about customers' statutory return rights.
The investigation found that these companies' websites suggested shoppers had fewer rights than the law actually provides. While the majority of the identified businesses, including HMV, Home Bargains, and The Range, swiftly corrected their websites after being highlighted, two firms are no longer trading.
This left Evans and Carluccio's as the remaining companies that had failed to amend their policies by the time of the November broadcast.
What the Companies Are Getting Wrong
According to Money Saving Expert's detailed table, Evans, which is owned by the Arcadia Group, states that its "Standard returns policy is 21 days for online orders." However, this is incorrect under consumer law.
The legal reality is that customers have 14 days to change their mind about an online purchase, followed by a further 14 days to return the item, creating a maximum window of 28 days.
Similarly, Carluccio's, the Italian restaurant chain that also operates an online gift shop, claims customers can "return goods to Carluccio's Online within 14 days of delivery." The correct legal position is that shoppers have 14 days from delivery to change their mind, plus another 14 days to actually send the item back.
Lewis used his platform to inform viewers of their exact legal standings regarding returns and refunds, with some of the information appearing to surprise the studio audience.
The Mirror has contacted both Evans and Carluccio's for comment, and The Martin Lewis Money Show Live confirmed it had also approached the businesses before the broadcast.
