Shopping websites breaking the rules

Three in ten of the most visited online shops are getting the simplest selling rules wrong, reveals which.co.uk as it releases details of its biggest survey yet into online shopping.

Of the 51 online shops covered by the survey, 16 failed to comply with at least one of the key shopping rules. Online retailers should refund the full cost of an order if goods are returned - including the original postage charges to deliver the shopping. According to their own websites, next.co.uk, fragrancedirect.co.uk and empiredirect.co.uk fail to do so.

Another common pitfall was getting the cancellation period wrong. Websites including orange.co.uk and homebase.co.uk wrongly state that customers have seven working days from the delivery date to cancel their order, when in fact they have up to eight working days.

However, buying online has its perks. Which.co.uk researchers were able to save over £50 buying electrical goods online instead of at a high street store. Some retailers also offer extended returns limits for Christmas presents bought online, so customers should check the terms before buying.

In the Which? survey of more than 8,000 members, skincare website Lizearle.com received the highest customer score of 95%. Other retailers that came top in their categories were Abebooks.co.uk, Amazon.co.uk, Figleaves.com, Virginmobile.com, Johnlewis.com and Wiggle.co.uk.

Jess Ross, Editor, which.co.uk, says: "The benefits of shopping online are great - you can save time, money and see a whole range of products all at the click of a button. However, it's worrying that some of these websites are getting simple shopping rules wrong and putting their customers at a disadvantage."

Full details on how each of the 51 online retailers performed are available at which.co.uk/onlineretailers