Damaged Christmas gifts delivered? Here’s what you should do

If you’re a last-minute Christmas shopper, the last thing you’ll want to discover when the delivery man drops your gifts off at the door, is that they’ve been bruised, battered and broken on their way to your home.

Even Santa, the OG himself, can’t prevent his presents getting damaged on his whistle-stop tour around the world.

The guys over at the Case Farm know just how frustrating receiving broken goods can be, especially when it’s so close to Christmas Day. That’s why they’re revealing the tricks of the trade, so you can get your goods replaced, refunded or repaired in time for the big day.

Read up on your rights

The saying ‘the customer is always right’ generally means if you argue with a retailer for long enough, you will eventually get what you want. However, to save yourself time and calling costs, it’s better to read up on your rights and hit them with the cold, hard facts.

The Sale of Goods Act explains that you have legal rights if the goods you’ve received are either:

• Broken or damaged
• Unusable
• Not as described

These rights protect you from being duped by retailers and they are the key to you getting your money back or your products replaced.

Keep hold of your proof of purchase

You may have initially thought your parents were crazy for keeping receipts of everything they’ve bought since 1992, but you’ll be wishing you did the same when it comes to refunding or returning broken items!

Keeping receipts and records makes things a whole lot easier when it comes to returning faulty or broken goods. However, if you’re unable to find your receipt, you’re still entitled to a full refund within 30 days of purchase. After 30 days, the seller can either repair or replace the product but they do not have to give you a full refund.

Get in contact with the retailer

Once you’ve got all your evidence to hand, it’s time to contact the retailer. This process should be simple and straightforward, if you’re working with a company with decent customer service.

If the gifts you’ve bought are faulty, all you should need is proof of purchase and you should be able to get your money back pretty easily. However, sometimes you may need an extra helping hand when the retailer won’t back down.

Enlist the help of an ombudsman

If you’ve got a problem, you can bet any money there’s an ombudsman out there to help you solve it.

If you’re not sure what an ombudsman is, think of them as the not-so cool vigilantes of the retail world. You can use their free, impartial and independent service to help you resolve your dispute without going to court.

You’ll need to enlist the help of the consumer ombudsman if you need to resolve a dispute relating to faulty goods. However, this is usually used as a last resort after you’ve raised a complaint with the company and given them enough time to solve it.

As a general rule, it’s a good idea to check the returns policy before buying anything online to avoid getting into any sticky situations; but not everyone has the time to read the fine print in the run-up to Christmas Day.

The editorial unit