Save with Martin Lewis (From Worcester News)

Save with Martin Lewis

11:51am Friday 26th February 2010 in

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THE SEXY new HD-TV is on your wall, the picture is great, but after a month … POP!

The telly goes kaput.

You take it back to the store, but it says “bog off, you need to send it to the manufacturer.” What do you do? Time for my Consumer Boot Camp.

Far too few people have a clue about what their rights are, so stores trample on us and fob us with cheap excuses. With Christmas now six weeks past, and more than just the sheen failing on many gifts, it’s time to tool up your knowledge.

Excuse the bluntness, but the most important thing to remember is that you need to become a SAD FART – at least , that’s the way I came up with to remember the statutory rights you have on everything you buy.

It goes like this: goods must be of Satisfactory quality, As Described, Fit for purpose, And last a Reasonable length of Time.

If they don’t, they’re faulty and you’ve got a lot of rights.

It should be obvious if a product doesn’t live up to one of those expectations, but there are certain areas of confusion...

HOW QUICKLY DO YOU NEED TO TAKE GOODS BACK?

If you get it back to the shop within four weeks, you should usually get a full refund. After that, only expect exchange, repair or part-refund. If you return goods within six months it’s up to the shop to prove it wasn’t faulty when it sold them to you. The statute of limitations means you have six years to bring a complaint against the shop – though that doesn’t mean goods must last six years.

DO I NEED TO KEEP THE RECEIPT?

No, but it’s sensible to do so. If the goods have broken the SAD FART rules, legally all you need to do is prove purchase. This could be with a credit card statement. However, if you are returning something under a shop’s own ‘no fault’ policy, then it will usually demand that you have a receipt.

DO I RETURN IT TO THE STORE OR THE MANUFACTURER?

The store, the store, the store, the store! Shops will try and fob you off, but your legal relationship is with the shop where you bought it from, not the manufacturer.

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TV money guru Martin Lewis runs the consumer revenge website MoneySavingExpert.com Ensure you get his weekly e-mail so you’re constantly saving money.