Getting bulky purchases home

Retail parks are where people buy big things: wardrobes, beds, flat-pack shelving, garden furniture, rolls of flooring and lengths of timber. Getting those things home is where trips go wrong, from a box that will not fit the boot to a scraped doorframe on delivery day. A few minutes of planning saves a second trip or a damaged car.

Option 1: your own car

Measure first

Before you go, measure the boot opening (width and height), the load floor length with the rear seats folded, and the diagonal from the bottom of the boot to the top of the seat backs. Flat-pack boxes are long and heavy; a wardrobe or bed frame can easily be over two metres long. Most retailers list box dimensions and weights online, often separate from the size of the assembled item.

Weight matters too

Flat-pack furniture in dense board is heavy. Your car's handbook gives the maximum payload. Heavy loads affect braking and handling, and may need extra tyre pressure according to the handbook.

Secure the load

The Highway Code says you must not overload your vehicle and that any load must be secured and must not stick out dangerously. Loose items in a car become dangerous in sudden braking. Use the rear seat belts or load lashing points where your car has them, and wedge boxes so they cannot slide forward. Driving with the boot open lets exhaust fumes into the car and may hide your number plate and lights, so avoid it unless the load is short and properly secured and marked.

Roof bars

Roof bars rated for your car, with proper ratchet or cam straps, can carry long flat items. Check the roof load limit in the handbook, which includes the weight of the bars. Never rely on string or elastic bungee cords for heavy loads.

Option 2: hire a van

For a one-off big shop, a van for a few hours can cost less than delivery charges across several stores.

• Licence: a car (category B) licence lets you drive vehicles up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass. Most short-wheelbase and medium vans fall within that. Licences issued for tests passed before 1 January 1997 usually also include category C1. GOV.UK explains the driving licence categories.
• Hire conditions: companies set their own minimum age and years of licence holding, and may want a DVLA check code. Ask in advance.
• Insurance and excess: read what you will pay if the van is damaged. Low bridges and car park height barriers are a common cause of claims; check the van's height before driving under anything.
• Retail park height barriers: some car parks have height restrictions at the entrance. Many retailers that sell bulky goods have a separate goods-out or loading area accessible by van.
• Load safely: heavy items low and against the bulkhead, secured to the tie-down points.

Some large stores offer short van hire on site. Check their terms and the parking rules for where to leave your car while you use it.

Option 3: store delivery

Delivery is often the safest choice for anything heavy or awkward, and the only realistic choice for some items such as sofas and range cookers. When comparing, ask:

• Is it kerbside, to the ground floor, or to a room of your choice? Kerbside delivery leaves you to get it up the stairs.
• Is it a one-person or two-person delivery? Heavy items usually need two.
• Will they unpack and take away packaging?
• Is assembly or installation included, or available for a fee?
• What is the delivery window, and is there a charge for rebooking?

Your rights on delivery

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015:

• Unless you agree a different date, goods must be delivered without undue delay and no later than 30 days after the contract was made.
• If an agreed delivery date was essential, for example you said so when ordering, and it is missed, you can treat the contract as ended and get a refund. If it was not essential, you can set a new reasonable deadline, and end the contract if that is missed.
• Goods are the retailer's responsibility until they are in your possession, or in the possession of someone you nominate. Damage in transit is the retailer's problem.
• If the retailer installs the goods, the 30-day right to reject faulty goods runs from when installation is finished.
• Any service the delivery team provides, such as assembly, must be carried out with reasonable care and skill.

When the goods arrive, check them before signing if you can. If you do not have time, write "not inspected" on the paperwork. That does not remove your rights, but it helps if you later need to show damage happened before delivery. Photograph any damage straight away.

Flat-pack: before you open the boxes

• Count the boxes against the receipt or delivery note. Large items often come in several.
• Open one box at a time and check the parts list before starting.
• Keep the packaging until you are sure the item is complete and undamaged. Many retailers ask for items back in their packaging for a change-of-mind return, though this is not required for a faulty-goods claim.
• If parts are missing or damaged, the goods are not as described or not of satisfactory quality. The retailer must provide the missing parts, replace the item, or refund within the rules explained in our returning goods guide.
• Furniture that could tip over, such as tall wardrobes and chests of drawers, usually comes with wall fixings. Use them, especially where there are children.

Getting rid of the old item

Councils run bulky waste collections, usually for a fee, and local reuse charities may collect furniture in good condition. Some retailers offer to take away an old item when they deliver a new one. For electrical items, retailers have specific take-back obligations; see our guide to buying large appliances.

For help timing a big shop around deliveries and parking limits, see planning a retail park trip.