Scams, refunds and builder disputes: the biggest consumer questions revealed

Millions could be at risk of losing money due to confusion over everyday issues
Which? Team

Millions of people are at risk of losing money due to confusion about scams, builder disputes, holiday refunds and other everyday issues.

We surveyed 2,000 members of the public to establish how confident they would be in responding to some of the UK’s biggest consumer questions.

Read on to learn more about our most commonly asked questions and the new Which? Get Answers campaign. 

The biggest consumer questions

We analysed traffic to the Which? website to determine the questions consumers most commonly ask us.

At the top of the list were questions about obtaining a refund or replacement for a faulty product, getting compensation for a flight delay, and what to do if you think your smart meter is faulty. 

Big ticket purchases

Questions about big ticket purchases such as cars also featured prominently. 

The average cost of a new vehicle stood at £40,000 as of April this year, and subsequent repairs can set drivers back thousands of pounds. Data from the RAC shows the average cost of a catalytic converter replacement is £2,200 and a new clutch can cost £1,200. 

Yet despite such large sums of money being at risk, just 32% people we surveyed said they were confident that they understood their rights in the event that their new vehicle had a problem. 

The risk posed by scams

More than £1.2 billion was lost to financial fraud last year, according to UK Finance. 

Among the highest value types of fraud reported were investment scams. These accounted for over ten thousand cases, with losses averaging over £11,300.

Worryingly, 44% of respondents to our survey reported they were not confident that they would know how to get their money back after falling victim to a scam. 

Outcomes for scam victims can vary significantly, with long-promised plans to make all banks and payment providers reimburse scam victims in all but exceptional cases yet to become law.

Similarly, more than 350 million faster bank payments are made every month, but 45% of our respondents said they wouldn't know what to do if they accidentally sent money to the wrong account. 

While the confirmation of payee service, introduced in 2020, should help prevent many misdirected payments, consumers could be at risk of losing their funds permanently if they don’t act quickly to inform their bank in the event of an erroneous transfer. 

Outsmart the scammers – our free scam alert service can help you spot and avoid the latest scams

Disputes over building work

Shoddy building work can also cause consumers serious financial headaches. 

Soaring materials and labour costs have pushed up the cost of home renovations since the pandemic.

Recent research by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors put the cost of a loft conversion at up to £88,800. Concerningly, 40% of people reported not being confident that they would know how to complain in the event they encountered issues. 

Holiday cancellations

Consumers can also stand to lose hundreds, and sometimes thousands of pounds in the event they need to cancel a package holiday, with a week in Europe this July costing an average of £1,068 per person according to our recent pricing analysis.

However, 42% of people we surveyed said they were unsure of their rights in the event needed to cancel. 

Gift card confusion

£1.96 billion was spent on gift cards in the second half of 2022, , according to the Gift Card and Voucher Association. However, 37% of people said they are not confident about their rights when purchasing them.

Refund rights

According to UK Finance, 21 million credit card transactions were made in January alone, to a value of £19 billion, yet worryingly, 49% of respondents said they were not confident that they knew what Section 75 is.

Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, gives people extra protection when making purchases over £100 on their credit cards, is an important failsafe for consumers making big ticket purchases, particularly in the event of being unable to obtain a refund from the retailer if an item does not arrive or is not of the expected quality. 

A similar proportion of people reported being unfamiliar with chargeback, which can be used by your credit or debit card provider to reverse a payment. 45% of people we surveyed said that they weren't familiar with the scheme.

For issues consumers have been unable to resolve by other means, the small claims court is an important mechanism for recouping costs of up to £10,000. However, the process can be daunting for many, with 45% of consumers reporting a lack of confidence in their understanding of the process.

Retail complaints 

Our survey found that consumers are generally more confident when it comes to dealing with day to day retail complaints. 

53% of people said they were confident that they would know how to return an item purchased online, and just 5% said they were not at all confident of what to do in this scenario. 

Similarly, 48% were confident of what to do if their delivery or online order failed to turn up.

Which? Get Answers campaign

As part of our Get Answers campaign, we aim to bring our free advice to more people than ever before by highlighting the everyday life questions our experts can help to answer.

Harry Kind, Which? consumer rights expert, says: 'Our research shows there’s huge confusion about the consumer questions we all face every day and knowing the right answer can be worth a significant sum of money. This is particularly important when so many are struggling with the cost of living crisis.

'Whatever questions life throws at you, Which? is a trusted home of everyday advice, so whether you need help with travel or your energy bills, Which? can help you get the answers you need.'

Which? surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 members of the general public, to establish how confident they would be knowing the answers to the twenty most commonly asked consumer questions (as determined by analysis of traffic to the Which? website). Fieldwork was carried out by Savanta in May 2023.

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