Next week, leading up to the first weekend in December, is predicted to be the peak time for buying Christmas presents from home this year (including online and mail order).

At miltonkeynes.com we thought it a worthwhile exercise to let the people of Milton Keynes know how to shop safely from home in the lead up to Christmas.

S.H.O.P.S., is the organisation that protects readers on behalf of all the UK’s national newspapers including The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Sunday Times, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Telegraph and The Express. The list presented is not exhaustive.

National Newspaper S.H.O.P.S. winter home shopping tips

BEFORE YOU BUY

• Make some simple checks about the supplier or advertiser and make sure they provide details of their registered company name and physical address. Can you easily contact them? Is the advertiser a member of a recognised trade association who may be able to help with a dispute? A company may have a good website but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s safe and law-abiding.
• Check for expected delivery dates, shipping and handling fees, warranties, return policies, and other important information. Look for an email address to write to (or a phone number to call) if you have a question, a problem, or if you need help. Don't assume an internet company is based in the UK just because its web address has 'uk' in it - check out the physical address and phone number.
• Use a Credit Card to pay for purchases if possible. Items over £100 are protected by the Consumer Credit Act 1974 Section 75.
• Keep details of the transaction including the actual advertisement or website page, confirmation of order on email or note the date and time of a telephone order.
• If shopping online look for websites that have a secure way of paying (known as an encryption facility) - these show a padlock at the bottom of the screen when you are filling in the payment details. Make sure that the web address of the page starts https:// before you enter any personal information or payment details. The 's' stands for 'secure'.
• Buy through reputable and trusted media, such as national newspapers which protect readers who purchase goods directly.
• Check that the advertiser is a member of an accredited scheme like the National Newspaper Safe Home Ordering Protection Scheme – it’s simple, just look for the S.H.O.P.S. sign on the advertisement.

AND IF IT ALL GOES WRONG

• If you buy goods on the internet, you still have the same rights as if you were shopping on the high street, in relation to faulty or poorly described goods. Goods must be delivered within 30 days unless otherwise specified. Non delivered goods must be refunded in full. The Distance Selling Regulations give you a seven day cooling off period so you can send back goods for any reason within this period and claim a full refund.
• If there is an unresolved dispute with the trader, consumers can contact the government’s consumer organisation Consumer Direct for further advice: call 08454 04 05 06 or visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk, or contact the Citizens’ Advice Bureaux
• If an advertiser has ceased to trade without delivering the goods or providing a refund consumers should first lodge a claim with the Insolvency Practitioner appointed to deal with the trader’s affairs.
• If the goods are over £100 and a Credit Card was used to make the purchase, then consumers should claim from the issuer of the Credit Card. If payment was made with a Visa Debit/Credit it may also be possible to claim from the bank via the “Visa Chargeback” scheme.
• Consumers who responded to a payment with order advertisement in a national newspaper can claim through the National Newspaper Safe Home Ordering Protection Scheme (S.H.O.P.S.). Contact the newspaper from which you responded. For further details of S.H.O.P.S. visit www.shops-uk.org.uk

S.H.O.P.S.’ Chief Executive Ron Davis says the unique protection provided by their Scheme, which vets advertisers who ask for payment in advance before they appear in National Newspapers and also provides compensation to consumers should they fail, is a model which could be adopted by other home shopping media.

Ron Davis comments: “Every National Newspaper in the UK is a member of S.H.O.P.S. which means readers can buy from advertisements which require payment in advance of receiving goods with our assurance. These guarantees are not available to consumers who shop via other media such as online or through TV Shopping Channels.”

Ron continues: “We have cash reserves to compensate consumers in the rare event that an advertiser in National Newspapers fails to deliver. It is a level of protection you can’t get on the internet or other media”.

S.H.O.P.S. (Safe Home Ordering Protection Scheme) is a self regulatory body supported by all National Newspapers in the UK. Launched in 1975, the Scheme has offered protection to consumers for more than three decades and £5.2 million has been paid out to consumers in compensation over this period.

S.H.O.P.S. is often compared to the role of ABTA within the travel industry. Consumer protection is both needed and desired in the home shopping sector and the National Newspaper industry uniquely meets that need. Consumers will be able to determine those advertisers in the Scheme through a clearly printed S.H.O.P.S. sign on each advertisement or catalogue.

For more information visit www.shops-uk.org.uk