Shops get your rights wrong

Sales staff at high street retailers are giving incorrect information about extended warranties they sell alongside new products, says which.co.uk.

Which.co.uk visited 20 high street stores and found that only seven followed all the rules regarding the sale of extended warranties correctly.

Seven out of 20 shops gave wrong advice about the right to cancel a warranty. Customers have 45 days to cancel, but which.co.uk was given a range of responses, from no right to cancel because ‘there's a lot of paperwork' to an incorrect number of days.

The list price and length of an extended warranty should be advertised next to the product it relates to, which four shops failed to do. Five stores also failed to give a written quote with one telling which.co.uk, ‘all I can do is tell you, it's £139.'

Shoppers often take out extended warranties when they buy new products thinking they will be protected if the product breaks down, but Which?'s latest product reliability survey shows that modern domestic appliances are reasonably reliable, so people are usually better off saving their money.

Jess Ross, Editor, which.co.uk, says: "People should think twice before buying an extended warranty when they buy products this Christmas. In many cases extended warranties are a waste of money, and those consumers who really want one will find much better deals by shopping around rather than simply taking what they're offered in store.

"Retailers clearly need to spend more time training their staff to make sure they're getting their facts right."