One in six people who placed an online order last year received items that didn't match their product descriptions or images, a Which? survey of 1,108 Connect panel members has revealed.
Frustrated shoppers told us how orders were very different to the images and listings they saw online when buying the items. Four in 10 who had a problem reported misleading product pictures.
Under consumer law, you're entitled to a full refund if an item you've ordered online doesn't match its description.
But of those who complained in our survey, a quarter who had arrived at a settlement with the retailer said they didn't receive all their money back.
Below, we look at three cases where products bought online weren’t as described and explain how to complain about a product that falls short of your expectations.
'It looked nothing like the online pictures'
Ellen* bought a pendant light from Lampsmodern, costing nearly £165 with postage, after seeing it advertised on Facebook.
But when the lamp arrived, it looked nothing like the displayed images on the website. The product description had claimed it was made of iron, but Ellen explained that 'it seemed to be made of thin tin and looked like plastic'.
She asked to return it but was told that the item was too expensive to send back to China, where it was sent from. Lampsmodern offered only a partial refund of £132.
When Which? contacted Lampsmodern, it told us the online images might not accurately represent the product because the factory made some mistakes in the colouring process when preparing Ellen’s order.
It also said that the angle and lighting could have misrepresented the colour while shooting the product images. It said it would pay more attention to these issues in the future.
The retailer has since offered her a full refund, provided she sends images of the lamp.
Find out more:'When I opened the product, the manual said it wasn't suitable for dark skin'
Sarah* ordered a Qure LED mask - which is used to target blemishes, fine lines, pigmentation and redness - from online retailer, Cult Beauty. But there was key information missing from the retailer's product description.
When Sarah received the mask, she saw in the user manual that it couldn't be used on brown or dark skin. This information wasn't listed on Cult Beauty's site. Sarah, who has dark skin, was concerned about using the mask and sent it back for a refund.
She then contacted Qure, the manufacturer, which told her that those with darker skin tones should speak to a dermatologist before using the masks as darker skin is more sensitive to light therapy.
Which? also contacted Qure, which told us it does state that the product is most suitable for skin types light to medium on its website. But we expressed concern that the website doesn't explicitly mention that the mask is unsuitable for other skin types, which could lead to consumers making misinformed purchases.
Qure told us it will update its manual for customer awareness. Cult Beauty did not respond to our request for comment.
Read more:'It wasn't glass, but cheap plastic'
Mike Sturla and his wife bought bird-shaped plant waterers from online retailer Largelye.
The product listing said the waterers were made from glass, but the couple described them as 'thick, plastic, cheap replicas.'
They quickly rejected the items via email and were sent a refund notice but no reimbursement. When they chased Largelye, it said they would need to ship the goods back to China at their expense.
When ordering from overseas, you do still have the same consumer rights to a refund in principle, but they can be hard to enforce in practice.
Which? contacted Largelye about Mike’s experience, but we only received automated responses asking us to ‘contact the seller.’
Concerningly, Mike's experience isn't unique. 95% of the reviews on Largelye's Trustpilot page are one star - and most of them echo Mike's experience, complaining about cheap, poor-quality items and refund issues. Its Trustpilot page also has a warning that a number of fake reviews have been detected.
How to complain about misleading product descriptions
Providing picture evidence alongside screenshots of the advertised product description or image should help when complaining.
* names changedsource https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/it-looked-nothing-like-its-picture-how-to-complain-about-misleading-product-listings-aSNgH4I0AB9s