Consumeractive
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Can I get a refund for a desk lamp if I used a Lidl coupon to buy it?
LEAD CASE
Q In December, I won a Lidl ‘Ten pounds off your shop’ online coupon. In January, I used it to buy an £11.99 desk lamp with a built-in USB phone/tablet charger.
Unfortunately, the charger didn’t work, and the replacement Lidl sent was also faulty.
Lidl refused to repair this or send me another replacement, offering me a refund of just £3 cashback instead. If I’d paid cash for this lamp I know I’d have been entitled to a full refund, but are my rights affected because I bought it using a coupon?
Jenny Beady
A They might be – it depends on the coupon’s terms and conditions. Legally, coupons are seen as an ‘invitation to treat’ but in themselves don’t count as an offer. So a retailer can refuse to accept them unless by doing so it’s in breach of unfair trading regulations.
Some retailers state that once a coupon has been used, it won’t be replaced under any circumstances. But this doesn’t cancel your right to a refund of any amount you spent above the cost of the coupon.