Buying online - 30 day's right of return?

[JennyS]

Does anyone here know if there is a right of 'within 30 day's' return for items that have been bought online?
The reason I'm asking is that I'm sure I came across mention of this somewhere online recently but I didn't have the sense to bookmark it.....

I bought a camera from Pixmania that I want to return for a refund and though their 'Right of retraction' clause states I have 15 day's their email reply said I have 7 working days - which I'm two days over.

I'm having a total nightmare trying to access, complete and then submit their 'Returns' form ......... and its looking like its been designed to make returns as difficult as possible.

Before I try ringing them (peak rate call to either France or UK from Ireland ) I'd like to have a better idea of where I stand legally regarding returns.

I need help badly please!

[Richard G.]

Have a look at this link JennyS.

I think 7 days is the legal minimum, though I've no real experience of having dealt with any dispute.

[charlieb]

According to their website:

You have a 15-day money-back guarantee that starts when you receive the product.

Just keep quoting that regardless of what they say.

[charlieb]

It's never easy:

Following the return of a product to the After-Sales Service within 15 workable days after the delivery date, you receive:
- a refund if the return was made between the 1st and the 7th day
- a PIXmania gift voucher if the return was made between the 8th and the 15th day.

They also say that

Products which have been returned to Pixmania take approximately 2 weeks to reach us.

[NJP87]

Legally you have a 7 day cooling off period in which you can send it back, after that it's down the store to decide if they will refund you.

[Paul mabbott]

There's a bit of confusion here - a guarantee lasts a lot longer than two weeks but only applies to damaged or unsuitable goods. Are you returning this because of a fault or unsuitability for purpose; or just because you've changed your mind?
PS: did you pay for this by credit card - if so the credit company may be a useful ally ....

[earthdragon64]

It really depends on why you are returning the goods, if there is a fault or flaw or they are not suitable, then The Sale of Goods Act may apply, just as it would if you bought the goods in a shop.

However, The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 and the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 give you further protection when buying online.

Have a look at the Trading Standards website, it's always a good starting point for consumer problems.

[earthdragon64]

Originally Posted by NJP87

Legally you have a 7 day cooling off period in which you can send it back, after that it's down the store to decide if they will refund you.

Under the Distance Selling Regulations, that's only true if it is clearly pointed out on the website. If no returns policy is given, then you have 90 days to either return it, or make it available for collection.

There are some exceptions, perishables, custom made products or products where hygiene may be an issue for example.

[BillyPilgrim]

Originally Posted by earthdragon64

Under the Distance Selling Regulations, that's only true if it is clearly pointed out on the website. If no returns policy is given, then you have 90 days to either return it, or make it available for collection.

I don't think this is quite correct. It doesn't really matter what they say on the website as this can be changed in an instant. This rule hinges on what they provide you with in storable form (either by email and/or on paper with the goods) after you purchase the item.

Of course this law only applies if you purchase the goods in the UK?

[JennyS]

Thanks for all the replies and the useful link.

There's a focus error with the camera (Ricoh GR2) that's apparent when viewing photographs of small flat objects like crustose lichens at 100% and I want a refund rather than a replacement.

I emailed them asking for help on Friday when I couldn't access the Returns page but haven't had a reply.
After spending a couple more hours today trying unsuccessfully to get to the Returns form using Firefox it occurred to me to use Internet Explorer () instead and I finally got through to the next stage.......
I gave my reason for return, quoted their Article 1641 etc and got through to the next page ...... which had no option for a refund.

Sometimes over the past two days when I've accessed their 'Terms and conditions' number 10. Right of Retraction says within 15 days for repair, replacement or a refund (as Pixmania vouchers)
And then next time I hit the link it says within 7 days with no mention of refund

Its possible that I'm totally thick but I've learnt a useful lesson today, which is to never buy from Pixmania again .......... is there anyone else out there who's had problems trying to return items to them?

(An awful lot of this post got edited so it might not make too much sense, but I was on a rant so I hit the delete button!)

Billy - the camera was purchased online from southern Ireland ....