Camera Returns Policies? (1 Viewer)

[Alan G]

Can anyone advise what rights us consumers have when purchasing cameras (in fact anything) online, if we get it and find it doesn't suit our purposes or we find it not up to expectations?

It seems from the sites that I've seen so far that they generally offer 14 day money back guarantees if but only if the goods are returned unused.

I assume this is merely some kind of cooling off period as opposed to 'satisfaction' guarantee?

Many thanks

Alan

 

[postcardcv]

Indeed the cooling off period is a legal requirement of distant selling (internet, catalogue, telephone). I doubt many (if any retailers) would be happy to allow you to use a camera for a week or so and then decide it's not for you. They would no longer be able to sell it as a new item and thus would loose a significant amount of money.

If you want to try before you buy you need to use a 'real' retailer.

 

[impotentspider]

For the UK at least I think I'm right in saying that the "cooling off" period does not apply if it is the buyer who initiates the contract, ie; you make the enquiry to the seller first.
14 day Cooling off periods were introduced to help consumers who had been "talked" into buying something without the chance to think it over, more often than not by a high pressure salesperson.

It may surprise a lot of people to know that retailers are not obliged to offer refunds at all unless the goods are unfit for the purpose they were intended/faulty etc. Retailers who offer refunds to buyers who simply change their minds are doing it as a courtesy to the buyer and not because the law says they must.
It may also surprise you to know that genrally speaking the statutory 12month warranty is also a load of cobblers, if you buy a state of the art DSLR and it packs in after eighteen months you can still get it replaced/repaired under UK law, which basically is "goods must be fit for the purpose they are sold" this has been broached in another topic recently regarding the life expectancy of a Canons shutter.
Of course getting any retailer to accept responsibility after 12 months would be an uphill struggle but if it went to court the consumer would win.

 

[postcardcv]

For the UK at least I think I'm right in saying that the "cooling off" period does not apply if it is the buyer who initiates the contract, ie; you make the enquiry to the seller first.
14 day Cooling off periods were introduced to help consumers who had been "talked" into buying something without the chance to think it over, more often than not by a high pressure salesperson.

The cooling off period applies to all distant selling, regardless of whether buyer or seller initiates contact.

 

[Keith Reeder]

Alan,

the Distance Selling Regulations 2000 allow for a cooling off period of 7 working days on purchases made online or by phone.

After that you're reliant on the the good will of the retailer I'm afraid (hence the "14 day money back if unused" type of offer), unless the article is demonstrably faulty or otherwise not for for purpose, in which case you have the same rights you'd have if you'd bought from a shop on the High Street.

This is the most useful page I've found on the subject (the DTi "own" this legislation and therefore are the most authoritative source of advice on it).

In the Q&A section, Q3 says:

Q3. I understand I can change my mind if I do not want the goods or services. Does that apply in all cases?

In most cases, the Regulations provide a 7 day cooling off period and a right to cancel during that period. The Regulations also allow traders to state the conditions and procedures for withdrawal, but require information about these to be supplied to the consumer.

The right to cancel allows the consumer time to examine the goods or services, as they would have when buying in a shop. The cooling off period starts when the contract is concluded and ends 7 working days after the day the goods are received (for services, 7 working days after the order is made). However, if a service starts immediately, before the end of the cooling off period, the consumer must be informed (in a durable medium) that they will not be able to cancel once it starts.

The cooling off period and right to cancel do not apply to contracts for:

• goods made to the customer's specification;
• perishable goods (flowers, fresh food);
• CDs, DVDs, and tapes with software, audio or video if unsealed;
• newspapers and magazines;
• betting, gaming and lotteries​

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Not great news, I imagine...