Buying on the web?

Be extra vigilant when shopping online. There are countless websites offering designer goods at very low prices, but the goods often turn out to be poor quality fakes - or are not even delivered.

Such websites are mostly located abroad, often in China and do not comply with UK consumer law. Getting refunds is impossible and secure payment companies don’t guarantee to get you your money back either!

Check out several websites and don’t just assume that a website with ‘UK’ in the address is actually based in the UK.  Trading Standards have received a number of complaints recently where this has not been the case. Look at a number of sites and compare prices with high street retailers as well. If something seems too good to be true then often it is.

Some genuine brands such as UGG, Boots and GHD put ‘web checkers’ on their sites.  This allows you to check if the website that you are looking at is affiliated with the genuine brand - or if it is one of the known scam sites. It’s worth using this if possible.  Remember to look at the wording of a website. In many unofficial sites the grammar or spelling may be incorrect, particularly where the website is designed in a country where English is not the first language.  

All online retailers selling in the UK need to comply with consumer protection law. This gives you a seven day cooling off period to return goods for a refund if you don't want something you've ordered.  UK websites must display your cancellation rights and a geographical address.  Check these are displayed on the website and read through them carefully before you make purchase.