This week | MARTIN'S QUICK BRIEFING: For more tips, alerts & awful puns, follow Martin on Twitter You've NO right to change your mind this Xmas
Wrong size? You've no return rights. 10 must-know shopping rights Paying less is half the game. Keep the upper hand if things go wrong - get a full masterclass in our Consumer Rights guide. Here are the Christmas trimmings... | 1. | You have NO legal right to change your mind. Buy in-store and later find the colour or size is wrong? Legally you've no right to a refund or exchange. Some firms' returns policies do allow it, but always check - and know if it says "we only give credit notes", that's actually generous.
| | | | 2. | If they're faulty, return quickly and you DO have refund rights. The game changes if goods are faulty. Then stores' policies are irrelevant and your 'statutory rights' come into play. Take goods back quickly enough and you've a right to a full refund. Some shops will try to fob you off, eg, "go to the manufacturer". If so, they're wrong. See What Shops Get Wrong. | | | | 3. | Know your Sad Fart rules - FREE wallet guide. What counts as faulty is defined by the Sale of Goods Act 1979. For real impact, quote it when taking things back. For ease, I call them the SAD FART rules. Goods must be of:
 Satisfactory quality, As Described, Fit for purpose And last a Reasonable length of Time. If not, they're faulty.
Don't worry about memorising it, arm yourself by printing our Free Christmas Consumer Rights Wallet Guide. Then if a shop tries to fob you off when buying or returning an item, whip it out and read 'em your rights. | | | | 4. | Buy online and you DO have a right to change your mind. The Distance Selling Regulations mean if you order online or by phone, you have 7 days to return goods, even if not faulty - unlike in-store purchases. This is why many are now becoming roboshoppers. Yet some items are excluded...
> Personalised goods (eg, photo mugs) can't be returned unless faulty
> Fresh food and flowers can't be returned unless faulty
> Travel, accommodation, timed leisure tickets can't be returned
> Games, videos, software you've unsealed can't be returned unless faulty | | | | 5. |  Ask for delivery charges back when returning online goods. Return goods bought online within 7 days (see above) and you're legally entitled to a refund, including the cost of the delivery to you (not of sending it back). Yet many firms only give this if you ask - so ask. | | | | 6. | Extra protection AND 5% off every time you pay. Buy anything costing £100+ and pay even 1p by credit card (not debit) and Section 75 laws mean the card firm's jointly liable if things go wrong. So if goods are faulty, or the firm goes bust, it needs to cough up as if it were the shop.
Of course, this is only worth doing if you REPAY IN FULL each month, preferably by direct debit so there's no interest, in which case...
Get 5% cashback too: Both Capital One* & Amex* have no-annual fee cards paying 5% cash in the first 3mths, then up to 1.25% afterwards. Full info in Top Cashback Cards (don't fully repay, & they're up to 19.9% rep APR). | | | | 7. | Write 'it's a gift' on prezzie receipts. Legally, only the person who bought the item has a right to return faulty goods. Yet it's possible to transfer these rights with a gift receipt. If one isn't on offer, get the assistant to write that it's a gift, and who it's for, on your receipt and theirs. Related: 50 Festive Fivers - cheap make or buy gifts under £5 | | | | 8. | Normal service NOT resumed during sales. The fact it's in the sales doesn't change your rights with faulty goods. Yet beware: many shops that normally allow no-fault returns suspend this during sales.
With second-hand goods bought from stores/traders (not private individuals), you still have the same rights. But what counts as 'satisfactory quality' varies between a 10p t-shirt and a £2,000 handbag. See Second-Hand Rights. Related: Local eBay Deals Finder | 40 eBay Buying Tricks | | | | 9. | Warning. Beware gift vouchers. If you buy one and the retailer goes bust before it's been used, you've little chance of your money back. Be wary and minimise the time before redemption. See the full Gift Voucher Warning. | | | | 10. | Make 'time of the essence' for Xmas delivery. By law, delivery only needs to be 'within a reasonable time'. So if ordering, get the retailer to agree time is of the essence. If it doesn't arrive in time, you can cancel with a full refund (of course, with online orders, you can always send back in 7 days). 75% Cheaper Parcel Delivery | Delivery No-Show Rights | |
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Reclaim PPI for FREE Claims handlers aren't more successful.
Free help & templates: Reclaim PPI |
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| The Ones Not To Miss | Wed 12 Dec 2012 |
The PERFECT time to switch - lock in & save £200!
Eon's hiking prices by 9%. It's the last big 6 energy firm to do it, so there's now a level playing field to compare Eon, the firm that's been touting "no price hikes" (then whispering "in 2012") will hike prices for all customers, bar those on fixes, by an average 8.7% on 18 Jan '13. This hike's now in comparisons, so if you haven't switched, compare NOW. | | Avg/yr | Exit fees | | Standard tariff (i) | £1,400 | N/A | | EDF Blue | £1,180 | None | | Cheapest variable | £1,060 | £30/fuel | For medium user, dual fuel, qtly bill.
(i) Big 6 avg. Source: Energyhelpline | - Save £300/yr in 5 mins. If you're one of millions on a standard tariff, with typical use you pay £1,400/yr. Yet for the SAME gas, SAME elec, SAME safety, you could pay under £1,100. Your cheapest switch depends on usage & region. Plug your info into a comparison site, plus we've blagged you cashback/freebies after c.3mths via these links...
Top comparison site: Energyhelpline* £15 cashback/switch.
Dual fuel: MoneySup* £30 cashback or uSwitch* six bottles of wine.
Prepaid energy: See Switch Prepaid Energy guide.
It's worth noting while the big 6 providers have hiked prices, when you compare, smaller providers may come top, as some haven't hiked yet. It's tough to predict whether they will, but it's possible. - Lock in cheaply - NO HIKES FOR TWO WINTERS. Look out for our top pick, EDF Blue June 2014*, in comparison results. While not the very cheapest it's a fixed tariff ensuring no price hikes until June 2014, without locking you in as it has no early exit fees. It'll typically save those on standard tariffs £200/yr and remember, the rate's fixed.
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Soap & Glory bundle £27 (RRP £70 separately). Super-hot every Xmas. 9 products, incl lip plumper. Boots Deals 4 millionth PPI template letter downloaded - reclaim for FREE. For over 5 years, we've campaigned to get people their cash back without paying a penny. Now we've hit another milestone. Free help and templates: Reclaim PPI Halve perfume or aftershave costs - codes and discounts
It's said more perfume's bought on 24 Dec than in Aug. If that's you, buy now & save with 20 Perfume Tips, incl...
15% Fragrance Shop code | 10% Halfpriceperfumes code | Designer smell-a-likes (dirt cheap) | Compare perfume costs H&M 25% extra code off up to 50% sale | Urban Outfitters 50% extra off up to 70%. See Sales Codes. |
Find up to 80% off at M&S, Ted Baker, Argos, etc... New Tool
The new Online Outlet Stores Discount Finder searches 30+ outlets for huge discounts on clothes, furniture & toys Many drive miles to outlet villages to snap up end-of-line bargains. Yet now, lots of high street and high-end stores have online outlet stores, either via eBay or special websites. You loved our page listing these, so now we've built you a tool...  New tool finds big discounts at 30+ outlets. Tell the new Outlet Store Discount Finder what you want, the price and discount, and it'll find it for you. You can also drill down to specific stores, too, including Net-A-Porter's Outnet, Ebuyer, Argos, and many more. This is a brand new tool, so please feed back/suggest improvements.- It's not just high brand clothes - furniture and toy bargains too. We've found an Episode Silk dress for £24 (was £160), men's Superdry boots for £35 (were £100) and an Argos football games table for £40 (was £100).
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| Last chance. Free £50 high street vch with TalkTalk TV + year's free Lovefilm. Ends today (Wed). Sign up via this TalkTalk TV, phone & b'band* link to get a £50 Love2Shop (Argos, Boots, etc) voucher plus a year's Lovefilm (RRP £58) - activate that ASAP. It's £15.50/mth plus line rental. Full cost-cutting info: TalkTalk £50 Voucher Tips New Look 25% voucher, Body Shop 40%, Tie Rack 50% and more...
New Look 25% off vch | Body Shop 40% off + free del code | Debenhams extra 10% off sale code | Tie Rack 50% off
Office 25% off ladies' shoes code & in-store | French Connection up to 50% off sale Full list: Discount Vouchers Up to 60% off Lion King, War Horse & 45 other Ldn shows. For Jan-Feb. Good seats sell fast. Theatre Deals EXTRA 50% off code on up to 75% off jewellery sale. Ends Thurs. Includes £2.50 Lily Allen earrings (RRP £20), £5.50 Fossil necklaces (£31.50) and £20 Swarovski gold plated rings (£79). See John Greed Deals. |
Urgent Travelex 2hr FLASH currency sales
Boost airport rates on euros, dollars & others | Or use special credit cards for PERMANENT unbeatable rates If you're lucky enough to be heading on a winter getaway, be it sun or ski, ensure you get the max buck for your bang... back to top ↑ |
Last order dates - for free Xmas delivery. If you're shopping online, order now or pay more for pre-Christmas delivery. The last free or cheapest order dates include... Mon 17 Dec: Tesco Direct* and House of Fraser*. Tue 18 Dec: Amazon*, Asos and Matalan*. Full list of 120 retailers: Last Order Dates FREE Kew Gardens entry (usually £16). For Sat 22 Dec to Fri 4 Jan. Book from Monday. See Kew Gardens Deals. Knickers coming down (lingerie discount codes)
Figleaves 15% off | Boux Ave 20% off | Ultimo 20% off | Deb'hams extra 10% on sale | Brastop 25% off | All Lingerie Offers Toys R Us FLASH sale rumour. Not 100%, but a short-lived sale starts today (Wed). Latest updates: Toys R Us Deals
Photobox 'freebies' with free £5 credit (£1.50 p&p). MSE Blagged. 7,500 £5 no min spend codes available. Great for Xmas; personalised photo stickers, magnets, notebooks & cards, but £1.50-£3 p&p. See Photo Deals. Is it worth adding the (student) kids to the car insurance for the hols? Don't add them for a year if they only drive for weeks. Get a temporary add-on, or special temp insurance. Full help: Car Insurance | Young Drivers' Ins Wrapping paper with your face on 33% off code. MSE Blagged. 1 for £2, 3 for £5. Photo Deals |
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Amazon's hidden 80%+ off pages
It's the last week you can get FREE DELIVERY in time for Xmas on Amazon, so we've built some special pages To get free 'super saver delivery' at the giant e-tailer, you need to order by Tue 18 Dec - this is our last email before then. A reminder Amazon's UK tax avoidance has been much highlighted - make your own decision on shopping there.  Build hidden Amazon discount pages. Use the Amazon Discount Finder, select a category and the discount you want, eg, 60%, and it reconfigures Amazon's URL to build a page showing discounted items (usually based on the RRP, though in a few cases, eg, DVDs, CDs & video games, these don't exist, so results are more vague).- Christmas bargain basements. We've built special festive pages, pre-tested for max no of results. They're auto-generated, so double check prices and if it's a good deal.
- More web shopping wizardry. The MegaShopBot finds the best shopping comparison site for each search, and our eBay Local Deals Mapper finds pick-up only bargains (which tend to be cheaper) near you.
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| Overpaying your mortgage specifically in Dec can save £100s... for annually calculated interest. See Dec overpayments. Virgin Wine 50% off link. Newbies only. On specific cases, eg, 15 bottles incl cava £65 delivered. See Wine Deals. Want a money makeover on TV from Martin? He's doing an ITV1 Tonight makeover. Find out more.
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Restaurant vouchers | Discount vouchers | Top deals |
| The Moneysaving community |
 Got a real-life money moral dilemma? Each week we feature a user's moral cash-related quandary (see previous weeks' dilemmas). If one's occupying your mind, please email MMD@moneysavingexpert.com. BOOK GIVEAWAY | F in Exams. 25 blagged for MoneySavers. Want one? Did you win Martin's X Factor prediction champagne contest? Martin did pretty well himself, but was pipped to the post by MoneySaver Sam Thacker. Congratulations, Sam. See all the predictions. THE GREAT HUNT | Dads, what would you like for Xmas?
Dads are notoriously difficult to buy for (ask Mrs MSE and 6-week-old MSE Junior). So, dads, here's your chance to get something other than socks & fancy jam. Share yours/read others': Xmas gifts for Dad | View past hunts MONEY MORAL DILEMMA | Who should pay the parking fine?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...
I am 25 and live with my mum. She recently had builders in who helped themselves to all her biscuits and milk. While driving to work between jobs, she asked me to stop off at the shop as she didn't want to leave the builders alone. It was a major inconvenience, as I didn't have much time, but as she's my mum, I drove off to get them. I've stopped off there many times without trouble, but I've now been fined up to £110 (halved if I pay within 21 days) for parking in a loading bay. I wouldn't have needed to stop off at all if I wasn't doing a favour for my mum. She's financially comfortable, but I'm working three jobs just to keep my finances in check. Should I ask her to pay for it?
Enter the Money Moral Maze: Who should pay the fine? | Suggest an MMD | View Past MMDs CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT | Airline: Jet2 Price: From £27 each way Ends: Ongoing
Our pick this week is Jet2. The prices are ongoing and include some taxes & charges. It's for flights to four skiing destinations this winter - Chambery, Geneva, Grenoble and Salzburg. We found flights from Manchester to Grenoble for £33.49. To find flights quickly, use the FlightChecker on a £50 one-way max search. Extra charges warning: Avoid payment and check-in charges - see the Budget Airline Fee Fighting guide. Related: Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad, Cheap Currency, Travel Insurance THE GREAT HUNT... REVEALED | What big brand alternatives make do-able gifts?
Smell-alikes made up the majority of responses, including M&S' Isis perfume instead of Issey Miyake's L Eau D Issy and Lidl's Suddenly Madame Glamour as a cheap alternative to Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle. back to top ↑ |
Quick forum tips | Andrea's freebies |
Martin's blogs | Martin's appearances Thursday 13 December
Shelagh Fogarty, Radio 5, 12-1pm.
Consumer Panel.
Listen to past shows. Tuesday 18 December
Daybreak, ITV1, between 7am & 8.30am. Subject tbc. PS. Missed The Martin Lewis Money Show? Watch past episodes. Other MSE team appearances Thursday 13 December
Dan Plant - Noreen Khan, BBC Asian Network, 3.30pm, subject tbc. | Cheap travel money | UK's Best Currency Rates | | £100 will buy you: | | Best | Worst |  | € | 123.50 | 112.75 |  | $ | 160.01 | 146.04 |  | TL | 279.50 | 257.21 | | Rates correct at 4.30pm Tue | Find all top currency rates
Compare travel cash | |
This week's poll: How much will this year's Christmas cost you? How much do you plan to spend on presents, food, and transport to see friends and family? | Poll resultsShould the UK be a part of the European Union?
- 63% said the UK shouldn't be part of the EU at all.
- 74% said the UK should renegotiate, so it's less integrated within the EU.
17,489 voted. See Full Results.
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Question of the week Q: Can you only have one regular savings account running each year, or can you open as many as you can afford? Margaret, by email. MSE Sally's A: Regular savings accounts often pay huge interest, up to 8% (see regular savers best buys) on limited amounts of cash, provided you contribute each month.
You can have as many regular savings accounts running as you like. There are no regulations like there are with ISAs. Yet many providers only let you have one of their products running at any one time. However, that doesn't stop you opening accounts with different providers. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). | Board of the week The eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales Board Share advice and tips on buying and selling secondhand items. Discussions include Abusive negative feedback on eBay- what can I do?, Non paying bidder and 5% off 1st class stamps at Superdrug. |
 Archna's free game of the week: CP6 |
Love is all around (we know, we've cameras snooping on it) That's it for this week. Yet before we go, the world of security camera snooping is normally about catching bad guys - but take a look at these honest pickpockets, acts of kindness and stolen kisses (ahh). Security camera slushy secrets. We hope you save some money, Martin & the MSE team |
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What you need to know This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances - and remember we focus on rates not service. We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned, how likely they are to go bust, but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the section 75 guide for protection tips). We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content. Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, how this site is financed and Editorial Code. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis. MSE, Money Saving Expert, MoneySavingExpert and Moneysavingexpert.com are registered trade marks belonging to MoneySavingExpert.com Limited. More about MoneySaving Expert and Martin Lewis What is MoneySavingExpert.com?
Founded in February 2003, it's now the UK's biggest consumer help website with over 6 million people getting this email and nearly 10m using the site. In September 2012 it became part of the MoneySupermarket Group PLC. Its focus is simple: how to save cash and fight for financial justice on anything and everything. The site has over 30 full time staff about half of whom are editorial researching, analysing and writing to continually find ways to save money. More info: See About MSE Who is Martin Lewis? Martin set up and runs MSE, he's an ultra-focused money saving journalist and consumer campaigner. He has regular slots on Daybreak, Lorraine, Radio 2 Vine, BBC1 Watchdog, Radio 5 Consumer panel and presents ITV Tonight. He is a columnist for amongst others the Sunday Post as well as an author. More info: See Martin Lewis' biog What do the links with a * mean? Any links with a * by them are affiliated, which means get a product via this link and a contribution may be made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay free to use. You shouldn't notice any difference; the links don't impact the product at all and the editorial line (the things we write) isn't changed due to it. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, it's still included in the same way. More info: See how this site is financed. As we believe transparency is important, we're including the following 'un-affiliated' web-addresses for content too:
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