Following the season of giving, it’s now time for the season of returning – although shops have no obligation to accept your returns. 

You might have ended up with a perfectly nice present in theory, but whether it’s the colour, style or pure vibes, you’ve now realised it just doesn’t feel right. 

Unfortunately, Home Show presenter Sinead Ryan said shops don’t have a responsibility to care about your feelings. 

“I am very sorry to inform you that you have no rights in this regard,” she told The Pat Kenny Show. 

“The statutory rights to return items only operate when a good is faulty, it’s not as described, or not of merchantable quality. 

“When it comes to change of mind, because something you don’t like about it, but the product is fine, no shop is under any obligation to take it back.” 

Personal choice

Sinead said shops are typically “really good at taking stuff back” after Christmas – but it is completely up to the shop. 

“Normal commercial practice is if you have been given a gift receipt, that is the shop’s promise to take it back,” she said. 

“They usually offer an exchange.” 

However, without that gift receipt, you cannot demand a shop accept returned items, no matter how much you don’t want them. 

“The law is on the shop’s side,” she said. “People get into terrible spats in shops and start arguing.” 

She reminded consumers to look out for signs that will indicate a shop’s attitude to return such as, ‘no refunds or exchanges during sales, your statutory rights are unaffected’. 

Returning online presents

Sinead pointed out, however, the exception to this strict return policy is online shopping within the EU and Ireland. 

“The law recognises you didn’t get a chance to try it on, to feel it, to examine it, because you bought it at arm’s length,” she said. 

“If you bought something online and it arrives in at your house and you realise it’s awful, you can then return it for any reason whatsoever.” 

Those unhappy with gifts bought online have 14 days to notify the retailer and return the product. 

'You can't be sneaky about it'

Sinead warned this online return rule means you may not be able to return the present depending on when it was bought. 

“If somebody bought you a present online on the 1st of December, that period has run out by the 25th,” she said. 

She also pointed out you can’t return a present to an online retailer without whoever got you the gift knowing. 

“If you do return it, you can’t be sneaky about it because the refund goes back to the person who bought it, not the gifted,” she said. 

Roughly one-third of people return at least one gift after the Christmas season.