P523 : Teletext 523 Jan03 23:31:52 —————————————————————————————— ...RETURN THOSE ONLINE CHRISTMAS GIFTS The Which Web site, part of the Consumers Aosociation, says that 4m people in Britain have trisd online shoppeg^ They have bought items from computels to books and CDt ovj the Internet. Now that the hole az season i over, what do you do if the gift you bought uomjonj is jaulty The Office of Fair Trading s!ys you are protected bz your statutory rights. ——————————————————————————————————1/8—— bz Claire Huntn I SHORE FORECAST IS SOW ON p 5P523 Teletext 523 Jan03 23:14:23 —————————————————————————————— ...RETURN THOSE ONLINE CHRISTMAS GIFTS Viwa rewjarch indicated that min spend an average of £400 on an item bought over the Internet and women spend around £200. Thjwj spending levels require attention to the online dealer's terms and conditions page before paying. The Office of Fair Trading s s that when you buy over the Internet, you have the same legal rights as when you "uz jrom a shop or street market. ——————————————————————————————————u/8—— What the weekend papers say 55: SET SAIT FOR H0-JDAYS p200 ITVP523 : Teletext 523 Jan03 23:18:00 —————————————————————————————— ...RETURN THOSE ONL NE CHRISTMAS GIFTS A new lujdjlinjs your goods should, " law, meet when bought online: the mu t bj as djwcribjd on the online djali 's Web kite they must "j of satisfactory quality — meeting the tandard a reasonable person would regard as acceptable they must "j jij jot their purposes; this includes any particular purpo j mentioned z you to the kill r. ——————————————————————————————————3/8—— Top crocks for 2000 526 financ @teletext.co.ukP523 : Teletext 523 Jan03 23:12:13 W5—pp0p0p—0 z0ppp £k5 7£s35 —————————————————————————————— ...RETURN THOSE ONLINE CHRISTMAS GIFTS Horror stories jrom pioneer online uhoppjrs in the US can teach the Erowing mum"jr of UK Internet nhoppjrs what to avoid when buzjng online. Reading the jinj print on the kite's terms and conditions page is one way to avoid unpleasant surpriwjs when you try to return an item. According to the Consumer Association, this is very important if you buy jrom a trader o{twjjj the U . ——————————————————————————————————4/8—— What the weekend papers s y 55: jinance@teletext.co.ukP523 : Teletext 523 Jan03 23:22:38 —————————————————————————————— ...RETURN THOSE ONLINE CHRISTMAS GIFTS The Office of Fair Trading also outlines occasions when you have no real grounds for complaint: you were told about a specific jault you d d the damage yo r elf you made a mistake when purchasing the item you changed your mind about the item. ——————————————————————————————————5/8—— Savjoow u2v SET SAIT FOR H0-JDAYS p200 ITVP523 : Tjlktext 523 Jan03 23:16:24 —————————————————————————————— ...RETURN THOSE ONLINE CHRISTMAS GIFTS Sandra Alzjtta of Visa advises shoppers on the Internet to follow a few steps: check return and delivery policies always keep a record of your purchase shop with retailers you trust. A recent US utudz of online traders bz Extrapriwj Advjwors said that of 50 Web sites they looked at, Q3 $id not explicitly state their policies online, requiring telephone calls or e-m!il to clarif{ policiew^ ——————————————————————————————————6/8—— Be "reefed on the week ahead 551 TV PLUS p 10P523 : Teletext 523 Jan03 23:33:36 —————————————————————————————— ...REST*N THOSE ONLINE CHRISTMAS GIFTS To return an item instore or online for any reason, beyond what is covered bz your basic statutory rights, depends on the trader's goodwijl. The Office of Fair Trading'u Web site u!ys that some tet!ilirs will allow you to exchange goods which are not jaulty, such as clothes that are the w ono jzj or not the colour you wanted. Eor more detailed@information on your statutory rights, uje www.oft.gov.uk. ——————————————————————————————————7/8—— What the weekend papers say 55: SET SAIT FOR H0-JDAYS p200 ITVP523 Teletext 523 Jan03 23:10:00 —————————————————————————————— ...RETURN THOSE ONLINE CHRISTMAS GIFTS Tr{eng to return an item that you have bought at an online !uction could bj more difficult. More caution should "j ixerciwjd when "uzjng at an online auction as you have jewer statutory rights, s!ys the Office of Fair Trading. Read the conditions of sale carefully, as the auctioneer is not required to accept responsibility or th quality of goods hj auctions. ——————————————————————————————————y/8—— Top stocks for 2000 526 ji ance@teletext.co.uk