We live in a world where, if needed, we could order an item online every single day of the week. What does this mean?
First of all, it means that we save a lot of time that would be otherwise wasted shopping in physical shops. On the other hand, online shopping increases the chances that we receive a defective product. These chances are increased because, most of the time, those defects are something we would’ve noticed during in-store shopping.
What can you do in such cases? Most people solve this with a return but, in some situations, they are not possible. According to defective product lawyers, the best thing to do, especially if the defect could cause an injury, is to seek professional legal aid!
Consumer Rights Act Protection
The very first thing that comes to your aid is the 2015 Consumer Rights Act. It protects buyers throughout the country and pretty much forces sellers and distributors to sell their products in a certain way. For example:
The description must match the product precisely. The report shouldn’t mention the actual product features, while the product mustn’t present something that’s not mentioned in the manual or on the label. In short, they must sell a product as described.
Quality And Satisfaction
Next up, we have quality and satisfaction. Distributors/sellers are enforced to sell only products that meet the standard of satisfaction and quality compared to its price and label. This means that they can’t sell overpriced items without a good reason, for example.
Clients should also be informed regarding the purpose of the product they’re about to buy. There’s already one too many personal injury cases caused by defective products just because people used a specific product for a different purpose than intended. However, since the manufacturer didn’t explicitly mention that, the consumer wins the case!
Product Acceptance
Everything described above becomes void and null when you declare your acceptance of the item/product you bought. This is why, when asked by the seller if your items arrived, it’s better to leave the answer for later, for when you unpacked and inspected the product.
This shouldn’t be an issue with reputable sellers, but some might argue that you saying “product received” implies product acceptance. The latter comes in effect when:
- You directly state to the seller that you accept the shipped products.
- You damage the product in such a way that makes it non-returnable. This includes potential damage, alteration, and even consumption if it applies.
- Finally, acceptance is directly enforced when no defects are reported thirty days after the product has been shipped.
Such products should be reported as soon as possible. In most cases, this means getting your money back and saving you a lot of trouble!
The Bottom Line
As you can see, your rights as a consumer/buyer are as clear as they can get – you mustn’t receive a product with defects. On top of that, the seller should also comply with specific rules to sell you a product.
However, this doesn’t mean that people can blindly buy anything they want! Considering the three points above, you should check the label, ensure that what you buy is not overpriced and that it can meet your purpose – before anything else!
