Retailers fix misleading returns policies after Martin Lewis pushes for change

Dozens of well-known retailers have corrected misleading information on their websites after a major investigation by MoneySavingExpert.

Every update happened because MSE uncovered the mistakes, challenged the retailers directly, and pushed the final outliers until they fixed their returns pages.

With all 28 firms now compliant, Martin Lewis has withdrawn his complaint to Trading Standards.

What MSE uncovered

Earlier this year, MSE checked the returns information of more than 400 popular retailers.

Out of those, 30 websites were giving customers the wrong rules about sending items back after shopping online.

These errors weren’t small. Some shops were:

• Starting the return period from the day an item was dispatched instead of the day it arrived
• Telling shoppers they only had 14 days total to return something
• Referencing old rules that stopped being used more than a decade ago

This meant many people could have wrongly believed they’d missed their chance to return unwanted items.

How retailers responded

After MSE published its findings, most retailers updated their websites quickly. Big names like Selfridges, New Look, Benefit and Boden corrected their information without fuss.

But four companies – Carluccio’s, Evans, Freemans and Joules – did not.

MSE then reported them to Trading Standards.

When Martin Lewis prepared to name the firms on his ITV show and offered them a right of reply, the remaining retailers finally agreed to update their policies.

Two others stopped selling online during the investigation.

With all 28 sites now showing the correct information, Martin Lewis officially withdrew his Trading Standards complaint.

Which retailers have fixed their returns policies

All 28 retailers found with misleading online returns information have now corrected their websites. They are:

Benefit, Boden, Bondi Sands, Caffè Nero, Carluccio’s, CeX, ELC, Evans, Forbidden Planet, Freemans, Grüum, Guinness, Harvey Nichols, HiPP Organic, HMV, Home Bargains, Hotpod Yoga, Hush, Jessops, Joules, Monsoon, New Look, Perfect Draft, Robert Dyas, Ryman, Selfridges, The Range and Victoria’s Secret.

Martin Lewis calls out the industry

Martin Lewis did not hide his frustration. He said some of the bad information had been online for at least seven years.

He explained that it “beggars belief” that major retailers and their legal teams failed to notice such obvious mistakes.

Incorrect rules make shoppers think they’re stuck with items they could legally return, which is especially worrying when money is tight.

A few retailers went even further

While most quietly fixed their pages, one company, Grüum, went above and beyond. Its co-founder emailed customers, thanked MSE for flagging the mistake and updated the site to give people a full 365 days to return unwanted items.

Why this matters for Black Friday and Christmas

With huge amounts of online shopping happening right now, knowing your legal rights is essential.
The law is clear:

• You have 14 days from the day after your item arrives to tell the retailer you want to return it
• You then get another 14 days to send it back
• If the retailer doesn’t tell you about these rights at all, your return window can extend by up to 12 months
• These rules don’t apply to personalised items, perishables or opened DVDs/games/software

Shops can offer more generous policies if they want to. Many extend returns until January, but that’s a bonus, not something they have to do.

What to do if you spot dodgy information

If you see a retailer giving out incorrect rules about online returns, you can report it to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice. They rely on members of the public to highlight problems like this.