Martin Lewis has issued a stern warning to two popular high street brands, revealing that he has reported them to Trading Standards . The financial expert claimed that fashion retailer Evans and restaurant chain Carluccio’s have not updated misleading information on their websites regarding returns, an issue he discovered during an investigation earlier this year.
In July, the TV presenter identified 30 companies that were providing incorrect information to customers, but most of them promptly corrected their websites following his intervention.
However, as of last night, only Evans and Carluccio’s remain uncorrected, with two other firms having ceased trading.
During his ITV programme, The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, Martin addressed the camera directly, stating: “Evans and Carluccio’s, you are wrong. Your websites are misleading, change them please. I have reported you to Trading Standards.”
His comments were met with applause from the audience in Manchester, who were attending a segment on consumer rights as Britons embark on their Christmas shopping. Martin enlightened both the studio audience and viewers at home about their legal rights when it comes to returns and refunds, surprising many with his revelations.
The list of the 30 companies and their transgressions, as revealed in July, can be found on Martin’s website, Money Saving Expert. Since the article was published, the majority of these companies have amended their websites.
However, the table reveals that Evans, part of the Arcadia Group, states something along the lines of: “Standard returns policy is 21 days for online orders.”
Yet, Martin’s website highlights its error, stating: “You have 14 days to change your mind, then a further 14 days to return the item, so a maximum of 28 days.”
The table also displays Carluccio’s, an Italian restaurant chain with an online gift shop, saying something to the effect of: “You can return goods to Carluccio’s Online within 14 days of delivery.”
Money Saving Expert counters this by stating: “You have 14 days from delivery to change your mind, then a further 14 days to return the item.”
Martin’s team conducted research on over 400 of the UK’s most popular retail brands and discovered that 30 listed online return policies which suggest customers have fewer rights than the law allows. This misleads shoppers about their statutory return rights, and parts of their websites list stricter criteria than the law requires them to offer.
HMV, Home Bargains and The Range were among the guilty parties but, in his show last night, Martin was quick to point out these have since corrected their websites.
The Martin Lewis Money Show Live stated it had contacted the businesses prior to broadcast.
The Express has also reached out to Evans and Carluccio’s for comment.