Know where you stand as an unhappy shopper

It's that time of year when the shops are packed, the streets are lined with parcel delivery companies and we're inspecting the items we bought in the sales to see if they're any good or not.

- MARTYN JAMES

Despite the fact that we have lots of laws and rules that protect our rights when shopping, some retailers ignore them or “accidentally” mislead us. So here's my ultimate guide to your rights!

What the law says

There are two laws that give us the bulk of our shopping rights. The Consumer Rights Act and the Consumer Contract Regulations.

It's not always easy to remember the rights the laws give you, so I came up with the Lost Rules for BBC's Rip Off Britain to simplify things.

■ Last: Goods and services must last a “reasonable” amount of time (more on that later).

■ Operates: The goods and services must work! The law says they must be “fit for purpose”.

■ Satisfactory: The goods and services must be of “satisfactory quality”.

■ True: The goods and services must be “as described”. In other words, the way they are advertised and sold must be true.

Here's what those rules mean in practice: