Q. I recently did a good chunk of my Christmas shopping online – most of it has now been delivered. I ordered some from Ireland and some from abroad. Unfortunately, some of the items are not as described, and one does not work at all. Some of these things were ‘limited time sales’ and to be fair were a great price. What are my options or rights in this kind of situation.
Dear Reader,
Any online purchases from Ireland to Ireland would be covered by Irish legislation. The item must be fit for purposes, matches the description and obviously, be working.
Generally speaking, for online orders you are entitled to cancel for any reason within fourteen days of the receipt of the goods. You do not need to have a reason. You must cover the costs of returning the goods (although, often, online retailers will cover this cost).
- External Walls: Up to €8,000 Grant
- Attic: Up to €1,500 Grant
- Cavity Walls: Up to €1,700 Grant
- Internal Dry Lining: Up to €4,500 Grant
If there is an issue in so far as the goods were not described or are faulty you are entitled to cancel and return the goods (and the expense of the Vendor) within 30 days. The vendor must give you a full refund within fourteen days of the receipt by them of the faulty/not as described product.
If you bought outside Ireland, but within the EU, you are entitled to a repair of the item within two years or a refund if a repair/replacement cannot be offered.
If buying goods outside of the EU, such as from China or the UK, you are subject to the rules of those shipping countries. You have no automatic entitlement to cancel as you would if buying from within the EU. Your entitlement to return should be set out by the business form which you purchased them. You may, of course, be liable for levies and charges on any goods returned etc.
It is important to note that any ‘clearance’ items might have been sold as is – and if the item description spelled out that the item may not have been working, or be different than as described, your rights might be limited. You would also be restricted to the value you paid for the goods, regardless of whether or not the price has now changed.
Aside from your strict legal rights, often customer service departments of these retailers tend to be relatively generous towards returns or refunds.
You can request a chargeback on your card if the transaction was not authorised by you, or was put through more than once, or if the goods themselves were not delivered.
If you have a legal query that you would like answered you can email [email protected] or send your query to Alex O’Neill Solicitors, 22 Barrington Street, Limerick. The column is a reader’s service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.