Got an unwanted Christmas gift? Here’s what your retail rights allow

Whether it’s a gift you hate, or you have bought something that simply doesn’t work, it can be hard to know what your return rights are over Christmas. 

If the gift is faulty, under the Consumer Rights Act you have 30 days to return it and receive a full refund.

If a fault appears within the first six months, you have to give the retailer a chance to replace it or organise a repair. If that is unsuccessful, you are entitled to a refund.

However, this only applies to the person who bought the item, so if someone bought it for you, they will need to arrange the return.

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For goods bought online, you have the legal right of 14 days in which to cancel the order after receiving it.

You then also have a further 14 days to send items back to get a full refund, and that can be for any reason.

Do you need to have a receipt?

Many stores operate a goodwill return policy over Christmas, so if an item still has its tags or is in its original packaging, you might be able to return it without a receipt for store credit.

This is generally up to the store though, so don’t assume you’ll be able to return it.

Without a receipt, you may also be faced with only getting back the last sale price of the item. So if someone buys you a £50 jumper, which goes in the Boxing Day sale and is reduced to half price, without a receipt you may only get £25 in store credit.

If you are purchasing for someone, it’s always worth including a gift receipt – this means they’ll get back the full value of what you paid if they try and return it.

What you can’t return?

Personalised gifts, perishable items and some clothing – like underwear and swimwear – are not returnable.