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What can you do if Christmas presents arrive late, damaged or just don’t turn up in time?

You may feel like shouting down the phone at the delivery company if you arrive home to find a soggy parcel in the front garden or your parcel doesn’t turn up as promised, but under consumer law, (and it’s the Consumer Rights Act that’s the bit you need to know), it’s the retailer who’s responsible, not the driver.

The Christmas countdown is ticking so where do you stand if parcels arrive late?

Late deliveries

If you were given a specific delivery date or the item was ‘guaranteed’ for Christmas delivery; you can ask for your money back including any extra postage costs.

But if you’re not given a specific delivery date, but say a three or five day window, bad news is the retailer actually has up to 30 days to deliver it to you. And if this doesn’t happen; you can get a refund including any postage costs.

Dumped or damaged parcels

Who hasn’t come home to find parcels dumped in weird and wonderful places? Not so wonderful when you’ve forked out your hard earned cash to find a rain soaked parcel on the doorstep or one thrown in your back garden.

Delivery companies often encourage you to suggest a ‘safe place’ to leave parcels if you’re not in, but doing this can wipe out your rights.

Suggest a ‘safe place’, like leaving parcels in the shed or with a neighbour, and it means companies are in the clear if it comes to problems as they’ll say they did what you asked.

However if it’s the driver who decides to leave your parcel somewhere, and there’s a problem, you can ask for a refund or replacement if it’s damaged or goes missing.

Missing deliveries

No sign of your parcel? Or are the delivery company claiming it’s been delivered when it hasn’t?

Mistakes can be made. I was once emailed a snap of my parcel by my front door as proof of delivery. Only problem was; it wasn’t my front door and I had no idea who the owner was! Got a refund on that one.

If there’s a problem get in touch with the retailer; either by email or call their customer service helpline. Or if you think the parcel’s been pinched, and sadly parcel theft is on the increase, report it to the Police too.

The high street took a double whammy this week when retail giant Arcadia went into administration, taking with it stores including Top Shop, Miss Selfridge, Top Man, Wallis and Evans and Dorothy Perkins, and then within 24 hours, Debenhams went into liquidation.

It’s sad news for struggling high streets, all the employees, with an estimated 25,000 jobs now at risk, and shoppers, who are confused about whether they can still spend gift cards, take back returns or faulty goods.

I’ve been talking and writing about this a lot including this piece for Good Housekeeping so here’s my quick run down on your consumer rights and why you should act fast!

Play gift cards now!

If the store is open, they may still accept gift cards. But it’s not unusual, as is the case with gift cards for Arcadia’s brands, to find they may only be accepted towards 50% of any purchase.

But if a store goes bust, they could prove worthless as you’ll be at the back of the queue trying to claim back your cash, behind a whole pile of ‘creditors’.

If gift cards get refused, the person who bought the card in the first place, may be able to claim their money back, through the banks’ ‘charge back’ system. But that’s providing they paid on debit or credit card.

Rush for refunds on returns

Most high street stores usually offer generous ‘returns’ policies and swap or refund unwanted items, or stuff you’ve changed your mind on.

If the store doors are open, head back armed with ‘proof of purchase’ and see if you can get your money back or even settle for an exchange.

Kicking your heels waiting for orders?

Still waiting for an order? If it doesn’t arrive, or the company goes bust, you may be able to claim your money back depending on how you paid.

If you paid by credit card, and the item cost over £100, you’ve got special powers, in the form of a handy bit of consumer legislation known as ‘Section 75’. Part of the Consumer Credit Act, this gives you super powers, as it makes both the company you paid your money to, and your credit card company ‘jointly liable’.

So if the store won’t, (or can’t), play ball, you can ask your card company for a refund. Paid by debit card? Ask your bank to do a ‘charge back’.

Faulty goods

If the store’s trading, dash back to see if you can get a refund or exchange.

If they won’t help, (and once a store’s in the hands of the administrators it’s their call), contact the manufacturer. You usually get at least a year’s guarantee on electrical items so ask the manufacturer to fix the fault.

And if you stumped up for an ‘extended warranty’; these are usually backed by insurers, which means you should still be able to get faults fixed.

So this week I’ve been scoffing posh crisps, (all in the name of consumer research of course…..), saved £80 on our house insurance, got a free Christmas present for the cats and snaffled a 30% discount on my new boots by joining a mailing list………

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Posh crisps for £1

If we’re talking snacks; then I’m always going to go crisps, not chocolate. So thought I’d give Morrisons range of ‘posh crisps’ a go.

Smoked Salmon & Prawn Cocktail, Pigs in Blankets and Aberdeen Angus Steak & Truffle crisps, which I checked out, are some of the flavours in its new ‘Best’ range. Must say they were a big hit in our house. Verdict? Meaty, mega tasty and with a great kick to boot.

Just £1 for a 150g size sharing bag; that’s around half the price of other fancy crisps like Kettle and Tyrrells, which are often around £2 for a same size pack.

Free Christmas present for the cats

With our home insurance due this month, I’ve been shopping around for a better deal. It’s something I do every year; and can’t actually remember the last time we stayed with the same insurer two years running. They usually want to hike the price on renewal and Halifax was no exception.

After a claim free year, it wanted to hike our premium by £80 on renewal so I plugged our details into a couple of comparison sites.

This time round found the best deal through Comparethemarket.com. Switched insurers and saved the extra £80 Halifax wanted and extra bonus was the arrival of ‘Sleepy Oleg’, who is a welcome, (free!), Christmas present for the cats.

Want one yourself? You need to make a ‘qualifying’ purchase before 14th December. All the info here

30% off my new boots from Esprit

It’s always worth signing up on the mailing list of your favourite websites as they often send voucher codes over. Always do this when I’m going to a new pub or restaurant, (which hopefully I’ll get to do again soon!), as they often send a voucher for a glass of wine or introductory discount.

Anyway so I spotted these fabulous chunky Chelsea Boots a couple of weeks ago on the Esprit website and when a 30% off voucher popped into my inbox; proved the best time to buy and saved myself £15.

Black Friday is a huge American import and flagged up both sides of the Atlantic by retailers as a shopping bargain bonanza with sales, deals and discounts on offer on everything from beauty to electronics, clothes and homeware.

This year it falls on Friday 27th November; with lots of online stores already kicking off their ‘Black Friday’ sales early.

Most high street stores will be shut this year, due to lockdown restrictions, but Black Friday could still be a bumper day online; as it’s reckoned we’ll shell out a whopping £6.5 billion; that’s £289 each according to TopCashback and research from the folks at budgeting app Yolt reckon 14 million of us will spend more this year, than last.

But with retailers having a tough time, you can bet they’ll put on a show to get us spending!

Think twice before splashing the cash

While savings can be made; it’s all too easy to get whipped up into a shopping frenzy that could prove costly.

One in five of us admit regrets over last year’s Black Friday purchases, and with the rising number of online scams in the wake of Covid-19, three in four of us worry about being ripped off, according to internet security company McAfee.

Throw into the mix the fact that around 95% of Black Friday ‘deals’ are cheaper at other times of the year and it’s worth thinking twice before splashing the cash.

Here’s my top five tips to stay smart on Black Friday

Boost the power of your pound

I’m all for bagging a bargain, providing it’s something you really need, or want, and not lured into spending, just because the price tag screams ‘cheap’!

So if there’s something you want; check the best price now; ahead of Black Friday.

Use price comparison sites like Idealo and Pricespy Takes seconds to find who’s selling at the best price and you can check back to compare how the same deal stacks up on Black Friday.

Factor in delivery charges too. Lots of places offer free delivery with a minimum spend, typically from around £20 upwards; although some places like Wilko want a whopping £100 minimum spend before chucking in free delivery; or you’ll pay £5.

Use Amazon’s price tracker

Shopping on Amazon? Always use its price tracker tool. This number crunches its prices all year round; so you’ll know if today’s price really is the best deal.

With tech gadgets; worth checking if you’re getting the latest model or an old one on discount. Buying older models on sale can be a great way to bag a bargain as stores shift old stock; but do check you’re comparing ‘like for like’ when checking prices.

Cash in with cashback

You can still bag cashback on sale deals.

Sign up to cashback sites like TopCashback and Quidco to earn as you spend, and pay with cashback cards if you’ve got one, and use loyalty cards or cash in points for extra savings.

Stockpile voucher codes

Sign up to your favourite websites for online discount codes and check out voucher code sites

A 30% voucher code discount will trump an ‘on the day’ 20% off Black Friday deal, and mean you’ll be better off holding back and playing your voucher code card for bigger savings another time.

In most cases you can’t ‘stack’ vouchers for multiple discounts as they’re usually only valid on full price stuff, but that said; some sites may let you do this, or may be a glitch in the system and I’ve bagged ‘double discount’ this way a few times.

Check the returns deal

Splashed out only to regret it?

Buying online means you can get a full refund simply because you’ve changed your mind, (you’ve got 14 days to cancel from the day after you receive your goods), whereas with high street stores; refunds or exchanges are down to their goodwill, unless items are faulty.

Worth checking the returns deal on postage when buying online, as if you’ve got to foot the bill; can be costly if you’re returning ‘impulse buys’ to several different stores.

Many online stores do offer free returns labels; however some like Hollister then deduct £5 from your refund for using the service.

Reckon we can all do with a bit of magic right now when it comes to boosting our bank account. Can’t promise a magic wand for a lottery or Premium Bond win, but you may have more special money powers than you think!

Here’s my top five and how to use them…….

Credit card protection

Pay by credit card for something with a price tag of between £100 and £30,000 and you get automatic legal protection if things go wrong.

Means the law’s on your side when it comes to getting a refund, as under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, if goods or services are faulty, or the company you buy from goes bust, you can ask your credit card company for a refund.

Always speak to the company you did the deal with first, but if they won’t play ball, or gone bust, contact your card company and ask to make a ‘Section 75’ claim.

Turbo charge your pension pot

It’s not often the coffers of HMRC open up to dish out free cash, but they do when it comes to pension savings, which can mean more money to splash out on your future dreams.

HMRC give you a bonus, (in the form of tax relief), as a reward for saving. Means another 20% in the pot for every £1 you save, if you’re a basic rate taxpayer, and more if you’re a higher rate tax payer.

In hard cash; that means for every £100 in your pot; you only need to stick in £80 and the Government pops in £20.

Six years for refunds on faulty goods

You can get your money back, or get a replacement on faulty goods, for up to six years after buying them, under the Consumer Rights Act.

However beyond the first six months, it’s down to you to prove the fault was there from the start. But not as tricky as it sounds; as if there’s recall on the product, or you get a second opinion from an independent source; this can often do the trick.

I got a full refund on our last washing machine when it packed up after less than two years work. All I did was write to the top bod at the company I’d bought it from, pointing out I hadn’t been doing the washing for our entire street each week, (just three of us), and flagging up the Consumer Rights Act, and they gave me a full refund.

You’ve got ‘back up’

Celebrities usually have a team of ‘people’ to help them out, and so do you!

Some home insurance policies include access to free legal helplines. Means you can get advice on anything from disputes with the neighbours to redundancy rights and all for free!

Another trick to get legal advice at a snip, is to ask Citizens Advice for a list of local solicitors offering ‘fixed fee’ appointments. These are usually ‘one off’ 30 minute appointments at much reduced rates.

Turn a ‘DIY’ trip into five star package protection

I’ve left this one till last, as in the current climate; holiday travel is off the cards right now.

But when you can take a trip again; there’s an easy way to bag five star protection for your trip. Though of course you should still always pack travel insurance!

Booking a package holiday means more rights if things go wrong, which you don’t get when buying all the bits separately, like flights, car hire and a place to stay.

But no need to buy an ‘off the peg’ package. You can turn a ‘flight only’ deal into a ‘package’ simply by adding in one day’s car hire, (which may even be cheaper than a taxi from the airport), or a night in a hotel.

Magic money powers checklist

• Check rules and consumer rights here.
• Ok so it’s never going to be fun bedtime reading, but worth checking your home insurance policy as you may discover benefits you didn’t know you had!
• Need to complain? Here’s a short cut to the top! Find email addresses for top bods at big name companies here. Used this myself with super speedy results!

Pets don’t have the luxury of free NHS treatment if they get sick. And even a minor visit to the vet can bring big bills.

Only 22% of us have pet insurance, but this still won’t guarantee free pet care, as it won’t cover everything and may mean paying for treatment up front, and reclaiming costs later.

In the current climate you can get valuable ‘breathing space’ with household bills like your mortgage, credit cards and car finance; but if squeezed budgets mean you’re living on a lower income; there’s ways to get free, or low cost treatment for your pet.

PDSA

The PDSA is the UK’s leading veterinary charity and been going since 1917.

To qualify for financial help, you’ll need to be claiming certain benefits like Universal Credit and live near one of the 48 PDSA hospitals.

Treatment is free or discounted, depending on your circumstances, and includes everything from vaccinations, worming and microchipping to emergency treatment.

Blue Cross

The Blue Cross animal charity has been helping sick and injured animals since 1897.

Once again you need to live near one of its centres and be claiming benefits, which include Housing Benefit, Universal Credit, Income Support and Working Tax Credit, to qualify for free or low cost treatment.

Blue Cross has also teamed up with ‘PawSquad’ to offer discounted online consultations 24 hours a day. If you’re claiming benefits; this costs £12 a year, and covers unlimited online consultations for up to five pets.

RSPCA

Free or low cost treatment may be available depending on your circumstances.

Pop in your postcode to find your local RSPCA hospital, as well as a list of local vets’ practices that offer reduced treatment if you’re struggling financially.

Animal Trust

This ‘not for profit’ vet company is based around the North and covers areas including Yorkshire, Manchester and North Wales.

With this one you don’t pay consultation fees; just the cost of any treatment, and there’s a full list of costs on the website.

Bill buster check list

Call your local vet in an emergency. They can agree payment plans along with other help if your pet needs urgent treatment.

In the current climate; some of the organisations above may be unable to offer the full range of treatment; so always call ahead; don’t just turn up.

Pet insurance can potentially save big bills; but it won’t cover everything. There’s usually always an ‘excess’ to pay, and some vets may charge an admin fee, to process insurance claims, so check terms and conditions carefully.

You can save money buying pet medication, as you don’t have to buy diret from your vet. Some will charge a fee for the prescription if you don’t buy from them but I’ve saved money buying prescription medication from accredited pharmacies including Viovet and Pet Prescription in the past.

You’ll need to email a copy of the prescription and vet details. You can check for a list of accredited pet medicine online outlets here.

Most of the organisations above are charities; so any donations are much appreciated.