Second thoughts after Black Friday? Here are the rights on returns and defective products

Here are the rules that protect consumers to get a change of goods or to return a purchase, both online and offline

Photo by Rob Stothard / Getty Images Black Friday 2020 has now arrived and today (November 27), many will devote themselves to shopping online and in stores to take advantage of discounts. According to recent research by the Growth from knowledge group, 61% of Italians will shop on Black Friday this year and the average budget is around 210 euros, especially on product categories such as clothing, appliances and technology.

But if on the one hand the purchases made during these shopping days continue to increase, on the other hand the number of returns is also becoming increasingly large, especially due to impulsive spending. So here are some elements to pay attention to when buying a product and then wanting to return it because it doesn't work or is not exactly what we were looking for.

First of all, according to the provisions of the Consumer Code, which also provides for fines from 5 thousand to 5 million euros for sellers in case of violations, companies, especially for online sales, are obliged to clearly inform about all policies, general conditions and above all the return prices. On the latter point, for example, a research conducted on the occasion of Black Friday last year by The Journal of Marketing showed that companies that sell online guaranteeing free returns can see sales increase by up to 457%, while the paid returns leads consumers to reduce their spending volumes.

In general, in the case of purchases made in-store, the return policy depends on the options provided by the activity, and applies in particular in the case of a defective or non-functioning product. In some cases the exchange of goods can also be guaranteed, in other cases a voucher can be recognized for new purchases. With regard to distance and online sales, however, the consumer always has the "right of second thoughts" which allows the customer to make a return within fourteen days from the date of purchase, in this case you can choose either a change of goods or refund of the amount spent.

In addition, ecommerce portals and online stores can also introduce additional policies on returns in favor of consumers, such as free shipping costs for returned goods or longer periods longer than the standard 14 days for return. Again on the basis of the provisions of the Consumer Code, then, in the case of "non-conformity" of the product, the customer is required to report any defects within two months from the discovery of the problem, even in the event of malfunction.

The seller, for his part, must guarantee free repair or replacement and for two years from the sale he is also required to recognize a legal guarantee. In the event that repair or replacement is not possible, the consumer is entitled to a price reduction.