Shopping & E-Commerce

Your consumer rights, scam checkers and complaint escalation tools.

← All free resources

Consumer rights law gives you more protection than most retailers want you to know about. These are the tools that help you use them. Whether you're checking a store before you buy or escalating a refund a company keeps refusing, everything here is free and independent.

Refund refused? Draft a formal complaint with our free letter generator.

Check if a website is fake or a scam before buying

ScamDoc scamdoc.com →

What: AI-based analysis tool that evaluates the trustworthiness of any website in seconds, giving a confidence percentage based on domain age, security protocols, and reputation signals.

When to use: Before entering your card details on any unfamiliar online store you found through a social media ad or Google Shopping result.

Want to know more? Read our full guide →

Report an international online shopping scam

eConsumer.gov econsumer.gov →

What: A joint portal run by over 40 consumer protection agencies worldwide for reporting international e-commerce fraud.

When to use: When you've been scammed by an online store based in another country — UK and US consumer agencies don't have jurisdiction over foreign sellers, but this portal coordinates cross-border action.

Want to know more? Read our full guide →

Check a company's complaint history before buying (US)

Better Business Bureau bbb.org →

What: Nonprofit that tracks business complaints and assigns ratings. Companies often respond to BBB complaints to protect their rating.

When to use: To check whether a US company has a history of unresolved complaints before making a purchase or signing a contract.

Want to know more? Read our full guide →

Understand your legal rights when something goes wrong with an online purchase (UK)

Gov.uk Consumer Rights gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights →

What: Official UK government guide to your rights — refunds, repairs, replacements, and the 30-day right to reject faulty goods.

When to use: When a retailer refuses a refund or tries to limit your statutory rights. Know what the law says before you call them.

Want to know more? Read our full guide →

Escalate a complaint to the right ombudsman automatically (UK)

What: Free tool that helps you escalate complaints through the correct channels — from the company directly to the relevant ombudsman.

When to use: When direct complaints go nowhere. Resolver tracks your case and knows the escalation path for each industry.

Want to know more? Read our full guide →

Get free consumer advice from a specialist helpline (UK)

Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer →

What: Free advice on consumer rights, faulty goods, refunds, and what to do when a company won't cooperate.

Phone: 0808 223 1133

When to use: Before escalating a dispute — they'll tell you exactly what you're entitled to and how to ask for it.

Want to know more? Read our full guide →

File a complaint with your State Attorney General

National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) naag.org →

What: Directory linking to all 50 US State Attorneys General consumer protection offices, which mediate disputes with businesses operating in your state.

When to use: When a local business, dealership, or state-registered company refuses to honor a warranty, refund, or contract.

Want to know more? Read our full guide → Generate your complaint letter →

File an Amazon A-to-z Guarantee claim

Amazon — A-to-z Guarantee amazon.com — A-to-z Guarantee →

What: Amazon's official buyer protection program for purchases from third-party sellers — covers non-delivery, damaged/wrong items, and unrefunded returns.

When to use: If a third-party seller on Amazon won't resolve a delivery, refund, or item-condition issue within 48 hours of contact.

Want to know more? Read our full guide → Run the full checklist →

File a USPS claim for a lost or damaged package

USPS — Domestic Claims usps.com/help/claims →

What: Official USPS portal for insurance claims on lost or damaged Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, or Ground Advantage shipments.

When to use: If a package sent via USPS never arrived or arrived damaged, and you have a tracking barcode showing eligible coverage.

Want to know more? Read our full guide → Run the full checklist →

Report mail fraud to the US Postal Inspection Service

United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) uspis.gov →

What: Federal law enforcement agency that investigates crimes involving the US mail — a federal offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1341, carrying penalties of up to 20-30 years.

When to use: If you were scammed through a transaction that involved the US Postal Service — a money order sent to a fraudster, or a package used to deliver a counterfeit or empty box.

Want to know more? Read our full guide → For evidence organization, see the Phishing & Scam Incident Report Template →

Australian Consumer Guarantees & Complaint Pathways

ACCC — Consumer Guarantees (Australia) accc.gov.au/consumers →

What: The official Australian Consumer Law (ACL) resources in one place — the ACCC's consumer-guarantees guidance and its report-an-issue portal, an ABN business-identity lookup, and every state/territory fair-trading agency.

When to use: Use this when a retailer in Australia refuses a repair, replacement, or refund and you need the official regulator or agency to escalate to — whether that's confirming your rights, reporting systemic misconduct, or getting your individual case mediated.

Official pathways:
ACCC — Report a Consumer Issue →
ABN Lookup →
NSW Fair Trading →
Consumer Affairs Victoria →
Queensland Office of Fair Trading →
WA Consumer Protection →
SA Consumer and Business Services →

Guarantees overview: how the ACL overrides store policy — Read our full guide → Refund boundary: when a store can (and can't) refuse — Read our full guide → Major failure: who chooses refund vs replacement — Read our full guide → ACCC reporting: escalating systemic misconduct — Read our full guide → Fair Trading complaint: get your individual case resolved — Read our full guide →

Australian Airline Complaint & Baggage Claim Resources

Airline Customer Advocate (ACA) airlinecustomeradvocate.com.au →

What: The Australian pathways for flight and baggage complaints — the ACA free complaints service, the government aviation-complaints portal, and the full text of the carriers' liability law behind baggage claims.

When to use: Use this when a domestic flight is delayed or cancelled, your baggage is lost or damaged, or an airline won't resolve a complaint directly. Note: the ACA is an industry-run body without binding ombudsman power (unlike AFCA or the TIO), and only covers 4 airlines — Jetstar, Qantas, Rex, and Virgin Australia — so don't treat it as equivalent to a binding regulator; your state Fair Trading agency or an ACL claim is often more substantive.

Official pathways:
Aviation Complaints — Australian Government Portal →
Civil Aviation (Carriers' Liability) Act 1959 — Full Text →

EU Cross-Border Shopping & Consumer Guarantee Resources

European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) eccnet.eu →

What: The official EU pathways for cross-border consumer problems — the free ECC-Net support network, the EU model withdrawal form, the national ADR body directory that replaced the discontinued ODR platform, and the Digital Services Act Article 21 out-of-court dispute bodies.

When to use: Use this for EU cross-border purchases, withdrawal rights, legal guarantee claims, or geo-blocking issues.

Official pathways:
European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) →
EU Model Withdrawal Form (official) →
National ADR Body Directory (post-ODR platform) →
Digital Services Act — Article 21 Out-of-Court Bodies →

The EU 14-day right of withdrawal — Read our full guide → EU store refuses your refund? — Read our full guide → The EU 2-year consumer guarantee — Read our full guide → EU digital products refund rules — Read our full guide → Cross-border shopping & geo-blocking — Read our full guide →

EU Travel Disruption Resources — Flights, Trains & Package Holidays

European Commission — Passenger Rights (EU) transport.ec.europa.eu — air passenger rights →

What: The official EU air and rail passenger-rights pages, plus a national civil-aviation authority, for enforcing flight, train, baggage and package-holiday claims.

When to use: Use this for flight delays/cancellations under EC 261/2004, lost/damaged baggage under the Montreal Convention, train delays under Regulation (EU) 2021/782, or package holiday disputes under Directive (EU) 2015/2302.

Official pathways:
European Commission — Air Passenger Rights →
European Commission — Rail Passenger Rights →
AESA (Spain) — Civil Aviation Authority →

Flight delayed? EU261 compensation — Read our full guide → Flight cancelled in Europe — Read our full guide → Lost luggage & the Montreal Convention — Read our full guide → Train delayed in the EU — Read our full guide → Package holiday rights in Europe — Read our full guide →

EU Product Safety & Recall Resources (Safety Gate)

European Commission — Safety Gate (EU) safety-gate-alerts — report a dangerous product →

What: The EU Safety Gate — the rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products. Report a hazard, search the recall database that spans 30 countries, and the European Commission's official CE marking guidance for checking conformity.

When to use: Use this to report a dangerous product, check if something you own has been recalled, or verify a product's CE marking.

Official pathways:
Safety Gate — Report a Dangerous Product →
Safety Gate — Search the Recall Database →
European Commission — CE Marking →

Report or check? Run the free decision checklist → How to report an unsafe product (Safety Gate) — Read our full guide → Check if a product has been recalled — Read our full guide → What the CE mark actually guarantees — Read our full guide →

EU Marketplace & Platform Dispute Resources

CSSF Luxembourg — Financial Sector Supervisor (PayPal) cssf.lu →

What: Where to escalate an Amazon marketplace, Booking.com, Airbnb, or PayPal dispute once the platform's own internal process won't resolve it. For general cross-border consumer escalation — the ECC-Net support network and the national ADR body directory that replaced the discontinued ODR platform — see the EU Cross-Border Shopping & Consumer Guarantee Resources card above; both pathways apply here too and aren't repeated below. What's specific to this card: PayPal operates in Europe under an official banking licence, so a PayPal dispute specifically can also be escalated to its regulator, Luxembourg's CSSF.

When to use: Use this for disputes with Amazon marketplace sellers, Booking.com, Airbnb, or PayPal that the platform's own internal process won't resolve.

Official pathways:
CSSF Luxembourg — Financial Sector Supervisor (PayPal) →

Package or standalone booking? Run the free escalation checklist → Generate a platform-specific dispute letter → Platform Booking/Purchase Evidence Log — view template → Amazon refund rights in Europe — Read our full guide → Booking.com consumer rights in the EU — Read our full guide → Airbnb refund rules in Europe — Read our full guide → PayPal Buyer Protection in Europe — Read our full guide →

EU Subscription Cancellation & Renewal Law Resources

European Commission — Consumer Rights Directive commission.europa.eu — consumer rights directive →

What: There is currently no single EU-wide cancellation-button law for an ongoing subscription — only the 14-day withdrawal window has a harmonised EU-wide "withdrawal function" requirement (Directive (EU) 2023/2673). Beyond that window, the strongest protections currently come from specific member states — Germany's Kündigungsbutton (BGB §312k) and France's cancellation-button obligation (Consumer Code Art. L215-1-1) are the clearest examples. An EU-wide "easy cancellation" rule has been proposed as part of the Digital Fairness Act, but it has not been adopted yet.

When to use: Use this to check your country's specific subscription cancellation and renewal-notice rules — these currently vary significantly by EU member state.

Official pathways:
Germany — Cancellation Button Law (BGB §312k) →
France — Consumer Code Cancellation Rights (Art. L215-1-1) →
European Commission — Digital Fairness Act (proposed, tracking page) →
European Commission — Consumer Rights Directive (withdrawal right) →

Was this renewal properly notified? Run the free checklist → Generate a cancellation & refund demand letter → Subscription Tracker & Renewal Log — view template → Are automatic renewals legal in the EU? — Read our full guide → How to cancel a subscription under EU law — Read our full guide →