Yahoo Finance Christmas strikes: What are your rights?
After all the disruption of recent Christmases, we were looking forward to something more predictable this year.
Unfortunately, thanks to the strikes, we’re not going to get anything like it. They’ve caused chaos for everything from present deliveries to Christmas celebrations, so it’s worth knowing your rights if something goes wrong.
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And if the one parcel that reaches you is from a relative who has splashed out on clothes two sizes too small, it’s worth knowing where you stand on returns too.
Christmas parties
If you’ve been forced to cancel a Christmas celebration because of train strikes, you can claim back the cost of the journey.
You’re entitled to a full refund or replacement ticket on another day, although the rules for how to claim differ between train operators, so you’ll need to check their website.
However, if you’re one of almost a third of people forced to cancel an event entirely, then check the terms you signed up to. In some cases, there will be a non-refundable deposit, but most of the time, as long as you give enough notice, you should be entitled to your money back.
Christmas parcels
The Royal Mail strikes that started on 24 November have thrown a spanner in the works since before Black Friday, and will continue to cause backlogs right up until Christmas day.
And while other couriers should be working as usual, this doesn’t guarantee a problem-free delivery from them either. Last month Citizens Advice published its annual league table of delivery firms, and not one company scored more than three out of five.
If anything goes awry with a delivery, it’s worth knowing that the person to contact is the retailer — because it’s their responsibility to get it to your door. If they try to fob you off and tell you to go to the courier, it can help to remind them of their responsibilities.
If a parcel doesn’t show up when you were expecting it, you’ll need to start by checking the delivery times they pledged when you ordered. If the company made promises it didn’t keep, you have the right to return the item for a full refund when it finally shows up.
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Unfortunately, some will give estimates, and some have made it clear since November that there will be delays. Others don’t give any indication at all of when you can expect delivery. If it didn’t make any promises, they have 30 days to deliver.
If you need it before the 30 days are up, then you can rely on the Consumer Contract regulations instead, which means you have two weeks to send the item back for a refund after it finally arrives — no questions asked.
If it doesn’t arrive at all, your rights depend partly on how it was lost. If it disappeared before making it to your house, you have the right to a refund or replacement.
If it was left somewhere you didn’t agree to in advance — like a neighbour you hadn’t suggested — then you have the same rights. Unfortunately, if you specified a "safe place" and it’s taken from there, it’s considered to have been delivered, so you’re scuppered.
Unwanted presents
Typically, the one present that will show up on time is the one that you don’t like. Your right to return it for a refund will depend on a few things.
If it’s faulty, your consumer rights mean you can get an exchange, repair or refund. Unfortunately, the person who bought the item will have those rights, so if you don’t have a gift receipt, you’ll either need to ask them to speak to the company for you, or give you the original receipt, with a note that it’s a gift for you.
If there’s nothing wrong with it — except that you hate it — you’re on much less firm ground, because you don’t have the right to take it back at all.
Fortunately, a lot of shops will be flexible around the Christmas period, and allow you to return it anyway.
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This is much more straightforward if you have the receipt, although some will allow a return even without one — they may just insist you exchange rather than receive a refund, and if the item is on sale by the time you take it back, they may only give you the sale price.
If you’re struck by any of these festive misfortunes, then even when you don’t have a contractual right to a refund, it’s always worth asking.
You may meet a brick wall, but if you’re calm and polite, you might find the company is willing to offer you something as a goodwill gesture.
It might not make up entirely for a cancelled Christmas party, or the fact that all your Christmas presents are stuck in a postal backlog, but it’ll be a darn sight better than sitting at home alone with a solitary mince pie railing against yet another year when Christmas was effectively cancelled.
Watch: Royal Mail workers begin strike in run-up to Christmas
Sarah Coles is a personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown and co-presents Switch Your Money On podcast.
