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Brits 'bad givers' at Christmas

25/12/2005

As millions of families gather round the tree to open their presents, a new survey has revealed that Britons are not good givers of Christmas gifts.

Research by insurer Cornhill Direct has found that half of people have held on to gifts that they had originally bought for a friend or relative because they decided that they liked it too much to give it away as a present.

And even if people bring themselves to part with their carefully chosen present, the chances are that the recipient won't be impressed, with 30 per cent of Britons admitting that they have tried to return Christmas gifts because they didn't like them.

Yet despite this, more than a third (36 per cent) are unaware of their legal rights regarding the return of unwanted goods, with many wrongly assuming that unwanted goods can be returned.

In fact, the insurer points out that retailers are not obliged to accept returned gifts simply because they are unwanted.

As a result of this, the average household will accumulate around £600 worth of new goods given as presents this Christmas.

However, despite this, most householders neglect to calculate this into their home content insurance calculations, meaning that they are putting themselves at risk of heavy financial losses if they are burgled or their homes damaged or destroyed.

"It has been calculated that Britons will spend £14.7 billion on presents this year which means that the value of additional goods we receive at Christmas averages out at around £600 per household," said Cornhill Direct’s operational underwriting manager, Ian Firth.

"Over time, people can lose track of just how much the value of the contents in their home has increased so perhaps a 'must do' in the new year is to check with their insurers that they are adequately covered."

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