Returning Christmas gifts in the UK: gift receipts, refunds and your rights

Wrong size, wrong colour, or the same book twice: plenty of presents go back in January. Whether you can take one back, and what you get for it, depends on two questions. Is the gift unwanted or faulty? And was it bought in a shop or online?

The honest answer for most unwanted gifts is that it's up to the shop. For faulty ones, the law is firmly on your side.

Unwanted gifts bought in a shop#

There is no automatic right to your money back when there's nothing wrong with an item and you've simply changed your mind. That applies to the person who bought it and, even more so, to the person who received it.

Most big retailers accept returns anyway, typically within 14 to 30 days for unused items, and many extend that over Christmas so presents bought in November can still go back in January. These policies are voluntary, but once a shop has one, it must stick to it. The conditions it sets are also its to choose: unused, tags on, original packaging, receipt required.

What a gift receipt gets you#

A gift receipt shows what was bought and where, without the price. With one, you can usually exchange the gift or take a credit note under the shop's returns policy.

It won't usually get you cash. A refund generally goes back to whoever paid, often to their card, so if you want money rather than an exchange, the giver may have to return it with the original receipt before the returns period ends.

No gift receipt? Some shops will still exchange an unwanted item, but that's goodwill, not a right.

Gifts bought online: the 14-day cooling-off period#

Goods bought online, by phone or by mail order come with extra protection under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. You get a 14 days cooling-off period, starting the day after delivery, to cancel for any reason. After telling the seller, you have another 14 days to send the item back, and the seller must refund within 14 days of receiving it or proof you posted it.

Three things to watch at Christmas:

• The right belongs to the buyer. The cancellation has to come from the person who placed the order, and the refund goes to their account.
• Early orders run out early. A gift delivered in mid-November is outside the 14 days by Christmas unless the retailer's own policy is longer.
• Some items are excluded: personalised or made-to-measure goods, perishables, and anything with a broken hygiene seal, or a CD, DVD or software with the seal broken.

Faulty gifts: stronger rights#

If a present doesn't work, isn't as described or isn't of satisfactory quality, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies:

• Within 30 days of purchase: you can reject it for a full refund.
• After 30 days: the shop gets one chance to repair or replace it. If that fails, you can ask for a refund or a price reduction.

Take it back to the retailer, not the manufacturer. The retailer is responsible for faulty goods it sold, and "no refunds" signs don't override the law.

One wrinkle for gifts: these rights belong to the person who bought the item, because the contract is between them and the shop. The Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 lets someone else enforce a contract term only where the contract identifies them, as with items bought from a gift list. In practice, shops usually deal with the recipient who has a gift receipt, but if one refuses, ask the giver to make the claim.

No receipt at all?#

For a faulty item, the law asks for proof of purchase, not a till receipt. A bank or card statement, an order confirmation email, a dispatch note or a gift receipt can each show where and when something was bought. See what counts as proof of purchase in the UK and returning goods without a receipt.

For an unwanted item, the shop can insist on a receipt, because it's offering something the law doesn't require.

If you're the one buying#

1. Ask for a gift receipt and put it in with the present.
2. Tell the shop it's a gift. Some will note it on the receipt or order, which can make returns easier for the recipient.
3. Keep the original receipt or order email. A refund or a faulty-goods claim may need to come from you.
4. Check the Christmas returns date before you buy early, and for online orders remember the 14 days start on delivery.