Why smarter complaining can mean smarter shopping
Christmas is approaching fast. As shoppers, it’s not a season that we look forward to with any great joy – crowds, high prices and endless presents to buy. It’s a stressful time of year.
That’s why at Resolver, the UK’s leading online assisted complaints service, we’ve put together a survival guide to help you get through Christmas with as little pain as possible.
We list our top tips for hassle-free shopping, and how to get redress if things don’t go as planned. We also investigate the best and worst returns policies if you need to take back an unwanted gift. We’ve even asked the British public about their festive shopping pet hates and Christmas gift horror stories.
The 12 ‘hates’ of Christmas past
Overcrowding drives shoppers online for the biggest shopping day of the year!
The 12 worst Christmas presents ever
Resolver poll reveals what not to buy for your loved ones this Christmas
The 12 top shopping tips to survive Christmas
Whether it’s online or on the high street, we tell you what to watch out for when shopping
The 12 retailer return policies of Christmas
James Walker, CEO and founder of Resolver:
“Christmas is a stressful time for everybody, especially those tasked with shopping. That’s why you should use www.resolver.co.uk for free to check out your rights if something goes wrong. We are here to make sure your Christmas shop goes smoothly, ensuring you get what you paid for or
suitable redress should anything not go your way.”
Christmas return policies in detail
| Retailer | No. of days for refund (in-store purchase) | No. of days for refund (online purchase) | Online returns free? | |
| Adams | n/a | End of January | No | |
| Agent Provocateur | 9th January | 9th January | ||
| Amazon | n/a | 30 days | No | |
| Apple | 14 days | 14 days | Yes | |
| Argos | 30 days | 30 days | ||
| ASDA | 28 days | 28 days | ||
| Blacks | 5th January | 5th January | ||
| Body Shop | 28 days | 14 days | No | |
| Boots | 28 days | 28 days | Yes | |
| Carphone Warehouse | 9th January | 9th January | ||
| Currys | 21 days | 21 days | Yes | |
| Debenhams | End of January | End of January | No | |
| Ernest & Jones | End of January | End of January | Yes | |
| GAME | 28 days | 28 days | No | |
| GAP | 30 days | 28 days | ||
| Goldsmith | 14 days | 14 days | No | |
| H&M | 28 days | 28 days | ||
| House of Fraser | 14 days | 14 days | Yes | |
| Iwantoneofthose.com | n/a | 14 days | Yes | |
| Jaeger | 28 days | 14 days | ||
| J D Sports | 14 days | 14 days | ||
| John Lewis | 90 days | 90 days | Yes | |
| Laura Ashley | 28 days | 28 days | ||
| Lush | 21 days | 21 days | ||
| M&S | 17th January | 17th January | ||
| Maplin | 30 days | 30 days | ||
| Matalan | 28 days | 28 days | ||
| Miss Selfridge | 14 days | 14 days | ||
| New Look | 21st January | 21st January | No | |
| Next | Mid-January | Mid-January | Yes | |
| Oasis | 28 days | 28 days | ||
| Primark | 28 days | 28 days | ||
| PC World | 21 days | 21 days | Yes | |
| Sainsburys | 28 days | 28 days | ||
| Selfridges & Co | 14 days | 14 days | ||
| Superdrug | 14 days | 14 days | Yes | |
| Tesco Direct | 28 days | 28 days | Yes | |
| Waterstones | 30 days | 30 days | Yes | |
| WH Smiths | 30 days | 30 days | ||
| BHS | 30 days | 30 days | Yes | |
| The Range | 14 days | 14 days | No | |
| TK Maxx | 28 days | 28 days | ||
| Monsoon | 22nd January | 22nd January | ||
| Mothercare | 31st January | 31st January | ||
| Halfords | 28 days | 28 days | No | |
| HMV | 21 days | 21 days | No | |
Image: Rept0n1x