Buyer beware – top tips, when buying online from Citizens Information

Buying online continues to be a popular choice for consumers. Buying online offers more choice, is convenient and allows customers to make purchases from the comfort of their own home, saving time and effort.

CSO published figures record “The volume of Retail Sales in June 2022 was 2.4% higher than pre-COVID-19 levels in February 2020”.

When you buy online, you have the right to the same protections under consumer law as buying in a shop and are entering into what is known as a “distance contract”. As you cannot check the products before you buy you have additional protections under EU law.

IO Paul Hayden based in Tipperary Town Citizens Information Centre explains “When you buy online from a seller based in Ireland or elsewhere in the EU you have 14 calendar days to change your mind and cancel without having to give a reason.

This is known as the ‘cooling-off period’. If you bought a product online your 14 day ‘cooling-off period’ starts when you get the product. The cooling-off period does not apply to certain purchases. Examples are leisure services such as hotel bookings, car rental or concert tickets or if the product was made especially for you. For more information check out our website.”

When you’re shopping online it is always important to do your research and pay securely. If you are worried about whether you are buying from an authentic website, research the company to make sure it’s a legitimate business.

You should check:
Contact details such as phone number, email, and physical address. Beware of websites that only have a contact form and no other contact information.

Online reviews, to find out about other people’s experiences. Don’t just use one source of reviews as these could be fake. Check reviews on social media channels or independent online resources like Trustpilot.

Terms and conditions, so you know exactly what you are agreeing to.

The website is secure by looking for a closed security padlock symbol in the browser window bar (where the website address is located). Click on it to check for an encryption certificate. The website address should begin with ‘https://’ - the ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’.

For spelling or grammatical mistakes which are a sign of scam.

If things go wrong with online shopping
Shopping online is convenient, but it can be harder to sort out problems. If things do go wrong, you should contact the seller (in writing if possible) explaining what the issue is and how you would like it to be corrected. If the problem is not resolved with the seller within a reasonable period of time or is not completely resolved to your satisfaction there are several options available to you.

You can contact your Bank and reverse the payment. This is known as chargeback. If you paid with PayPal you may be able to avail of PayPal’s Buyer Protection Scheme.

You can use an independent third party service such as the Online Dispute Resolution service, or the European Consumer Centres Network to resolve the dispute.

Depending on the location of the seller you can use either the Irish or European small claims court procedures.

The Development Manager in Tipperary Darren Ryan notes that “Gift vouchers and electronic money gift card are becoming increasingly popular. DM Darren Ryan explains that ‘Gift vouchers can be issued by a single business or for a group of shops. The Consumer Protection (Gift Vouchers) Act, on the 2nd of December 2019, set out the new rules for gift vouchers. The act states that gift vouchers must have no expiry date or be valid for at least 5 years.

Electronic money gift card are cards that can be used in a number of different shops, for example, One4all gift cards. The European Communities (Electronic Money) Regulations 2011 sets out that you must be informed of the conditions for using the e-money card, including any fees before you buy the card and any fees must be proportionate and in line with the costs actually incurred by the e-money issuer, that is, the business who issues the card to you.

Citizens Information Centres are funded by the Citizens Information Board. They provide free, impartial and confidential information, advice and advocacy services to the public on social services, rights and entitlements.

Information Officers in our Citizens Information Centres throughout County Tipperary are available to answer any queries you may have about consumer rights or buying on line, or any related questions. We are available from Monday to Friday, our centres are assisting clients by phone and email, face-to-face appointments and drop in service. We can be contacted at [0818 07 6510] and thurles@citinfo.ie or visit our website, www.citizensinformation.ie which is packed full of useful information.