SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Economists have warned shoppers to start holiday shopping early because of supply chain backlogs.
But when someone is shopping online, there are some rights shoppers have — and might not know about — for delays and refunds.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a seller has to ship an order within the time it says it will. If there is no delivery date, it has to ship the order within 30 days of someone placing an order.
Recently Yeezy, a high-end clothing company owned by Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, agreed to pay $950,000 to settle a lawsuit over slow shipping to customers.
What to do if a package is delayed:
If an order is delayed, the seller must give a new shipping date. If it can't provide a new date, the seller must explain the reason for the delay and give the buyer a chance to cancel the shipment for a full refund.
What to do if it's delayed again:
If an order is delayed again, the seller must give the buyer a new date or cancel the order and give the buyer a refund.
If a customer does not respond to a delay of up to 30 days, that can be taken as agreeing to the delay. But, for longer delays, a customer must give verbal, written or electronic consent to the delay. If a customer doesn't respond to notices of delays over 30 days, a seller must refund all the customer's money.
When someone requests a refund, the amount of time a seller has to provide that refund depends on the payment method. If someone paid with cash, check, money order or credit card, the seller has to give a refund within seven business days after the order is canceled.
When someone pays with store credit, a seller needs to credit the account within one billing cycle after the order has been canceled.
Sellers can also cancel orders and provide a refund.
Check before you buy:
One of the ways to avoid issues is to check a company's rules about refunds and returns or what happens if there is an issue before purchasing a product. Looking up reviews for alternative marketplaces can also allow people to see other customers' experiences. Searching the marketplace's name with words like "scam," "issues" or "complaint" can be a starting point for evaluating credible sellers.
To file a complaint against a business or to get information on consumer issues, visit the FTC website.
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