Q: I bought two carnival costumes for my children to be worn this year. The day after, when my kids tried the costumes, I realised the sizes were not good and went back to the shop to have them changed. The seller told me they did not have the sizes I needed.

At this point, I was offered a credit note, which I had to use within a month or I would lose my money.

I would like to know what the legal obligation of the seller is in such situation? Can I ask for a cash refund or at least that the credit note is extended for a longer period of time?

A: Since the carnival costumes you purchased are not defective, the legal remedies provided by the Consumer Affairs Act do not apply in this situation.

When this is the case, sellers are free to apply their own return policies. Hence, the offering of a credit note is actually more than what the seller was legally obliged to do in this particular situation.

If you think that you won’t be able to use the credit note before it expires, you may ask the seller to have it extended.

However, this is an agreement that has to be reached amicably and not a legal obligation.