Money Protection – Know Your Legal Rights as a Consumer!
As someone who buys online – a lot – I’ve fallen fowl to a few decidedly dodgy companies throughout the years, even some of the bigger, well known ones. Despite my firm beliefs I was in the right when issues arose, and knowing companies can not ‘break the rules’ or ‘breach any contracts’ – unfortunately, they do. They shouldn’t, but they do.
Getting into an argument is seldom productive, and more like banging your head against a brick wall. You may know the laws and your legal rights, but sometimes, a company will point blank refuse to help.
This can lead to incredible frustration on your end, and if you are anything like me, tempers can boil over, leading to the company being even more unwilling to assist, and you back at square one.
However, one thing I have learnt throughout each situation is knowledge is key. Not only in knowing my rights as a consumer, but also which next steps to take if the company refuses to budge, and you believe you are in the right.
Research, Research, Research
I am a firm believer that knowledge is power. In almost every situation, losing your cool will do nothing other than alienate the other party involved, and although you may temporarily feel better, it won’t last. Which is why keeping a cool head and knowing your rights is priceless. If you have an issue with your item and the retailer is refusing to help, your first stop to some free sage advice should be sites such as Which, Money Saving Expert, and Citizens Advice. They will be able to lead you to not only your legal rights, but ideas on how to broach the subject, legal letter templates, and advice on what should/ shouldn’t be doing.
Take All The Free Help You Can Get
Legal letter templates are vital when making a complaint. They help keep you to the point rather than waffling on. This is important as you need to keep your letter as short and to the point as possible. The templates also include all the relevant legal terms, which can also help your cause when complaining to the company; they can sometimes be more inclined to help if they feel you may be seeking legal advice or looking to take things further – especially if they know they are in the wrong.
The other major benefit of the letter template is that they can help you keep emotions out of it. As stressful, or even downright soul-destroying certain situations can be, when you end up out of pocket as well as without the service or item you ordered, it is vital to stay calm. Riling yourself up will only stress you out – I can guarantee you the company CEO is not losing any sleep over your issue!
If your complaint is going nowhere fast, you can request a Final Response Letter from your retailer, sometimes known as a letter of deadlock. This is required if you wish to take it further, such as to the FOS. FOS, or Financial Ombudsman Services, are a free and impartial that have the power to resolve disputes between the customer and company.
