Online purchases and cancellation information

Online cancellation rights should be checked against the type of purchase and the information supplied before checkout. Distance-selling rules can provide a cancellation period, but exceptions and special conditions apply to some goods, services and digital content. ^[1]

Preserve the checkout information

Save the order confirmation, delivery details, terms and cancellation instructions. Record whether the item was personalised, a service began early or digital content was supplied immediately with express consent. Those facts may affect the cancellation analysis.

Identify the contracting trader rather than assuming a marketplace is the seller. Keep the seller's name and address as they appeared when the order was placed.

Communicate cancellation explicitly

Use a method that creates a record of the decision and date. Merely leaving a parcel uncollected or deleting an app may not communicate cancellation of the contract. Check the return instructions, cost allocation and any deadline for sending goods back.

Refund evidence should include both cancellation and return. Digital-content problems involve different remedies where the product is defective. If the trader relies on an exception, ask it to identify the relevant purchase facts rather than accepting a blanket statement that online orders are never refundable.

Identify how and when the contract was made Keep the product page, checkout confirmation and terms explaining when the trader accepts an order. An automated acknowledgement may have a different purpose from acceptance or dispatch confirmation. Record any conversation that changed the order before acceptance. If you inspected a product in a shop but later completed the purchase remotely, explain the sequence rather than assuming that either the shop visit or the online payment alone determines the legal category. The full arrangement matters when assessing the applicable cancellation rules.

Identify the seller shown in the transaction record, particularly on a marketplace with several traders. Save the name, address and order reference before the listing changes. A platform may provide a convenient returns interface while the underlying contract remains with a separate seller. Keep communications from both, including any different cancellation instructions. If the order contains products from several sellers, separate the contracts and deliveries so a notice concerning one item is not mistakenly assumed to cancel every transaction in the basket.

Match the cancellation period to the purchase type For many distance sales of goods, the ordinary cancellation period runs to 14 days after the day physical possession is obtained, with specific rules for split deliveries. Service contracts generally use the contract date as the starting reference instead. Digital content supplied without a physical medium has additional rules concerning early supply and loss of cancellation rights. Check the actual category and information provided. The detailed Business Companion guidance distinguishes these cases, which is more reliable than applying one delivery-based deadline to every online purchase. [2]

Ask the trader to identify the facts supporting an exception. A genuinely personalised item raises different questions from a standard product selected from ordinary stock options. A dated leisure booking is also different from buying an everyday household item. Preserve the description and choices made at checkout. Where a service started early or a download began immediately, keep the record of any express request and acknowledgement. Do not assume that a generic tick accepting terms establishes every separate requirement relevant to loss of the cancellation right.

Send a decision that can be demonstrated later Make the cancellation communication clear and identify the contract or items concerned. Keep the message, submission date and any acknowledgement. A request asking whether cancellation might be possible can be less clear than an actual statement of the decision. The detailed guidance explains that a consumer can use a clear statement rather than being confined to the trader's model form. If a website cancellation tool fails, preserve the error and use an appropriate alternative that gives a reliable record of the notice sent. [2]

Distinguish the cancellation notice from the practical return arrangements. Check where goods should be sent, whether collection was offered and who bears the relevant return cost under the applicable rules and information supplied. Record the separate return deadline and obtain proof of dispatch. Do not treat leaving a parcel at a collection point indefinitely as a clear contractual cancellation. If the order has not yet arrived, tell the trader what you are cancelling and clarify the delivery position rather than relying on the courier to convey your decision.

Check the effect of early use and missing information For a service begun during the cancellation period, the work already performed and the consent and information supplied can affect any amount payable. That question differs from whether the service was delivered competently. Preserve the request to begin, the service record and the trader's calculation of any charge. For goods, handling beyond what is necessary to establish their nature, characteristics and function may raise a value-deduction issue. Keep evidence of the item's condition and use rather than assuming every opened box permits a standard restocking charge. [2]

If cancellation information was absent or supplied late, record exactly what was received and when, and obtain advice about its effect on the period. A screenshot of today's terms may not prove what appeared when the order was placed. Preserve the original confirmation and any later explanation from the trader. Once cancellation is accepted or disputed, retain a concise record of the contract, notice and return steps. This allows the refund question to be assessed against a demonstrated sequence rather than a general complaint that the website was confusing.