How to buy in sales Frequently asked questions

Items excluded from a sale

How do you know whether a sale price is genuine bargain?

An electrical shop had signs in its window saying 'everything half price in our sale' but the TV I wanted wasn't included in the sale. Is this a misleading sale?

Yes. You should contact your local trading standards department to report this sale. It should take action against the shop to make sure it doesn't display misleading sale signs. However, trading standards officers can't make the shop sell you the TV you wanted at the sale price. The trader may also have committed an offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Practices Regulations 2008 as the wording on the window is misleading.

False price reductions

I was told that the goods I bought in a sale were £50 reduced to £35. However, I've discovered that they were actually £20 just before the sale began. Can the shop do this?

The shop may be committing a criminal offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Practices Regulations 2008 by misleading customers into thinking that they are getting the goods at a sale price when they are not. 

The shop should compare the sale price to the most recently available price. The product should have been sold at this higher price for 28 days before the item was sold at the 'sale' price. You should report this kind of sale to your local trading standards officers.

The never-ending sale

A local furniture store had a 'this-weekend-only' opening sale. I paid £600 for a sofa. Now I've found out this 'sale' has been on for two years. I feel conned – is there anything I can do?

You could ask for your money back as there has been 'misrepresentation' about the sale. You should also report the store's sale to your local trading standards officers, which can force the store to stop making false claims about its 'sales'.

Returning faulty sale items

I bought a bike in a sale; the shop told me it was in the sale because the paintwork had chipped. When I got the bike home I found the gears were jammed. I tried to return it but the shop just said again that sale items can't be returned. Can they do this?

The shop can say that they won't accept goods back because you've changed your mind, but it cannot do this with faulty goods, even in a sale.

As you've found defects apart from the marks on the paintwork that you knew about before you bought, you'd be entitled to reject the bike and ask for your money back. If the shop doesn't agree to this you may have the threaten to take them to the small claims court for breach of contract.