Dear LPG, 

We have to blame Covid-19 to a certain extent, for many of the situations that we all find ourselves in, but I personally think that it has just given the government a helping hand with some really underhand plans.

We oldies have been around for a long time and seen many aspects of the world that we have come to know and love change while we have just been living our lives, but so much more has changed over the past eighteen months.

Buying things on-line has been forced on a lot of us older people who would not have bothered but for the fact that getting out to shops to place notes and coins in the hands of the people we are buying our purchases from has been one of our main lockdown challenges.

Even more upsetting than this is the fact that we are becoming more liable to settle for what we sent for even if, when it arrives, it is not really what we want.  If you are an internet shopper, ask yourself how many times you have sent for something which does not quite fit the bill when it arrives?  And how many times do you put your disappointment down to experience rather than sending the item back. 

Sending items back can be a time-consuming and sometimes quite costly business and I think that we older people are the ones that just end up keeping the items that disappoint.

Did you know that most online shopping returns are items of clothing?   I found a set of statistics that show this, but I wonder how many more online acquisitions just end up at the back of a cupboard because sending it back is just too much bother? With this in mind I always take a look at the part of any purchase which lets you know who has to pay for the postage if you need to send it back.

I recently found myself interested in an online advert showing a very attractive clothing item while internet window shopping with a younger friend watching.   I am not going to tell you what caught my eye, but I often take this particular backseat online-shopping friend with me no matter what type of shopping we are doing.  You could say that she often acts as my conscience jogger when we are online ‘Windows 10’ shopping.  It was then that I saw the multi-buy option and just how much I would save on each item if I bought three.  It was my friend who made me hesitate with her advice to make sure one fitted properly before going the whole hog…   When it arrived, as is often the case, it was not really suitable for me and, as one of those who is reluctant when it comes down to returning things, I have to thank her that I only have one item to put at the back of my wardrobe and not three. 

So, I think that I am now trying to be an LPG conscience-jogger when I suggest that readers avoid the multi-buy option until you know what you are getting, and really check the returns policy be for pressing the button that sends off your virtual cash…

MR, Dartford.