MoneyMagpie Editor and financial expert Vicky Parry warns about Black Friday scams and how to avoid them
Black Friday is a fairly recent phenomenon in the UK.
It’s touted as the best way to save money on Christmas gifts, but its growing popularity also means more scams and consumer risk. An American import, it is traditional the Friday after Thanksgiving – but this year, many retailers are doing Black Friday month.
Follow these tips to make sure you’re getting a genuine deal and not overspending or getting scammed.
Use a price checker
A common tactic is for retailers to advertise a ‘lowest price ever’ or ‘two days only’ price. But in reality, they may have artificially inflated the price in the month before to make it look like you’re getting a deal.
You can use price checker tools such as CamelCamelCamel, which is free, to look at the price history of a product. It’s also worth searching for the item using Google to look for other retailer prices or, ideally, the manufacturer’s site to see the Recommended Retail Price (RRP). This will give you a better idea as to whether it is a genuine deal or a marketing tactic.
Stick to your list
Overspending on Black Friday is easy to do when you see what amazing deals can be had. But, much like Prime Days on Amazon, it’s important not to get carried away.
Whether you’re stocking up on household essentials for yourself or getting your Christmas gifts all sorted, make a list before you log on. Stick to it! Try to not get distracted by on-page adverts for other items that you weren’t planning to buy. This might take some willpower but is the easiest way to stop overspending.
Apply the 24-hour rule
Black Friday deals are already here and won’t finish until the end of November (at least – don’t forget ‘Cyber Monday’ which typically follows!).
That means you shouldn’t feel pressured by any countdown timers, ‘today only!’, or other pressure-selling tactics. If the deal really is gone by tomorrow, it’s likely you will be able to find a similar one throughout November with a little shopping around.
Use your credit card
Credit cards are useful in a few ways. First, keeping your spending to a credit limit helps prevent overspending. It also means for purchases over £100, you have greater consumer protections in getting refunds if you have been scammed or the product is unsatisfactory.
Finally, it’s a great way to make sure you’re building your credit score if you pay your card off in full at statement time. If you can’t afford to do this, reassess your budget and consider spending less on Christmas gifts overall. It’s not worth getting a ‘deal’ or a ‘bargain’ if it puts you in debt or costs more thanks to interest.
Stack discounts and cashback
Now is the best time of year to make the most of discount codes and cashback sites. You can often get lucky and stack both a discount code and get cashback if you use a code specifically on the cashback website. TopCashback, Swagbucks, and Quidco are highly reputable cashback sites.
You can also check loyalty cards for seasonal deals and offers to earn more points or get exclusive discounts. Or, look up discount cards like the Carer Card or TOTUM (formerly NUS, now for more than just students) to make sure you’re getting real savings.
Sign up to newsletters
If you have preferred retailers to get your Christmas gifts from, make sure you’re signed up to the newsletter.
This helps you get notified of their discounts and sales, often in advance, so you can plan your spending. You may also get exclusive additional discount codes to stack with the sale price. The Mirror Money Newsletter goes out every afternoon with deals, advice, and the latest money news.
Finding a deal via a newsletter is also a good way to protect yourself against a scam, as you know it is from a legitimate source you signed up to previously.
Spot scams
Spotting scams is harder than ever before. But there are a few tells that you should look out for.
On websites like Amazon, make sure the product reviews are from a verified purchase, and that they aren’t all listed in a short timeframe. Products with reviews across months or years are more likely to be genuine.
If you see an advert for a Black Friday sale on social media, don’t click the advert. There is a common problem on social media platforms where scammers have replicated a near-perfect website but the URL is slightly different. It looks like there is a mega sale from a reputable brand, but you never get the items and your money is stolen. Instead, go to a search engine page and look for the company to find their legitimate website.
Finally, if a shop doesn’t have clear contact information, only sells one or two items, or has no reviews, walk away. It is likely a scam shop set up to get a few customers’ details fast before it closes and can’t be traced.
If you’re unhappy with a Black Friday purchase
Your consumer rights still apply if you buy something online, even if it’s reduced in the sale. This is because it is a ‘distance selling’ contract, which means you have 14 days from the day of receipt to change your mind about the product. You can return for a full refund if it isn’t what you wanted or expected.
The same goes for items that arrive damaged or not as described. The exception is if you buy a product knowing it is damaged, for example it is clearly stated in the product listing.
If you think you’ve been scammed because your item hasn’t arrived, or it’s not at all what you expected it to be, raise a claim with the retailer first. If you have no luck, file a claim with your card provider or bank, or PayPal, and make sure you include your original claim documents to show that you have tried to resolve it before asking for the card provider to step in.
- Some of the brands and websites we mention may be, or may have been, a partner of MoneyMagpie.com. However, we only ever mention brands we believe in and trust, so it never influences who we prioritise and link to.
