A significant proportion of unsatisfied gifts are never sold: an average of 60,000 Christmas surprises end up in landfills every year.
The end of the year is a peak period for retail sales due to Christmas shopping, and the second rush starts right after the holidays. That's when the discounts come, and in addition, many people try to return the gifts that went wrong to the stores.
If the purchased product is immediately found to be defective, the warranty applies: the retailer must replace the product within three working days.
However, there are always problems that further complicate already difficult cases, so it's worth knowing what to look out for during sales, and what to do with Christmas gifts that you don't like and don't work.
The first and most important step is for everyone to consider and think about any gift purchase. According to international research by ING, for example, in 2018, even before the pandemic, people around the world received approximately 10 million unwanted gifts at Christmas, worth about 400 million dollars. Various candles, pyjamas, slippers, underwear and socks finished high on the list.
And the various charity shops are often flooded with gifts they don't like.
A significant portion of these are never sold: an average of 60,000 Christmas surprises end up in landfills every year.
After the holidays, the various markdowns give you another opportunity to shop, because at most retailers, some products are available at lower prices after Christmas - and even somewhere before Christmas.
No matter how tempting a discount is, the Association of Conscious Buyers (TVE) definitely recommends that everyone treat the discount after the holidays with due care and buy only when and what they really need. Devaluations can often be very tempting, but it doesn't hurt to be sensible and follow the "rules" that apply anyway. That is, for example, we should only buy from a reliable dealer.
Suspicion may be well-founded in the case of products offered significantly cheaper than the prices of other traders.
If, despite all precautions, an error slipped into the machine and someone received a gift that for some reason they cannot use, it is worth being aware of a few things. Returning Christmas gifts works just like any other product. Quite a few people try the exchange after the holidays.
In the case of a product purchased in a traditional, non-online store, the retailer is not obliged by law to take back a product that is not defective. If, for example, a dress was returned because the size was not right or the color was not to your liking, the practice varies from store to store. By presenting the purchase receipt, in many cases, the given product can be exchanged for another one within 30 days.
If there is a bigger problem with the product received as a gift, i.e. if there is a defect that is presumably of manufacturing origin, then a quality complaint can be made.
And in the event that the purchased product turns out to be defective essentially immediately, then the warranty applies, commonly known as the guarantee: the trader must replace the product within three working days. The situation is the same with discount products: in the event of an error, the retailer must act.
If you have a complaint, the first step is to try to resolve it with the particular dealer or service provider, you can only proceed from there if this is not successful.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that, although the complaint is also valid over the phone, it is preferable to submit the complaint in writing, since a written complaint is easier to document and makes subsequent administration and reference simpler.
We should always make it clear that we are dealing with a complaint, because legislation requires financial service providers to respond to complaints within a specified time limit, as a general rule, within 30 days.
If a question cannot be settled satisfactorily with the trader, we can currently turn to three institutions after the trader. In the event of a violation of consumer protection legislation, the consumer protection authority helps, in individual cases the conciliation bodies, and the European Consumer Center helps in resolving cross-border consumer disputes.
The situation is different with online purchases: in this case, the law guarantees the customer a 14-day right of withdrawal from the receipt of the product.
Continuing with the previous example, a pair of jeans purchased online can be returned even if the size is right, but you don't like the color. Therefore, it is worth considering the purchases, before buying major investments, for example, technical products or mattresses, we check the reliability of the product in addition to the price.
Cover image: The Christmas gift-giving rush often goes awry
Source: Pixabay.com
