This year’s National Consumer Week (from 16 November to 22 November) is concentrating on clueing the public up on their online shopping rights and what to do if something goes wrong with a delivery.

Here is our National Consumer Week’s quick-fire advice for online shopping:

• if something has gone wrong with an item you’ve bought online
○ if the item you bought is broken or damaged, unusable or not what was advertised or doesn’t match the seller’s description you may be entitled to a refund, repair or replacement

• if you’ve bought something online that’s fake or counterfeit
○ you have the legal right to a refund and you can report the seller to Trading Standards or report the seller for fraud

• if something you ordered online hasn’t arrived
○ it’s the seller’s responsibility to make sure the item is delivered to you
○ if the seller used a courier, they should chase the courier to find out what’s happened to your order - it’s not your responsibility
○ check the delivery address you gave the seller. Then contact them and ask where your order is
○ if the seller claims they've delivered it or don't know where it is, you can ask for a redelivery. You might be able to get a refund in some circumstances

• if you’re worried about being scammed
○ before you buy anything, take a few minutes to research the company or website you’re using. Read reviews from different websites, and search for the company’s details on gov.uk - this will tell you if they’re a registered company or not
○ pay by PayPal or by debit or credit card. This gives you extra protection if things go wrong
○ be wary of unofficial sites offering big discounts, and make sure you’re buying from the retailer’s official website. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is
○ scammers may appear like a trusted business, using links in ads or emails to direct you to a fake website. Don’t click on any links you don’t trust.
○ make your online shopping accounts secure. Try using three random words to create a long and strong password
○ use a strong password for your email accounts that you don’t use anywhere else

To find out more about shopping online, check out this video. Look at our online shopping advice page and see what the National Consumer Week campaign has to say.

If you need help and advice about a problem online purchase, contact the UK European Consumer Centre on 01268 88660 - weekdays between 10am and 4pm.