Issued By
West Yorkshire Trading
Standards Service
Christmas is a busy time for shoppers, choosing gifts
for family and friends. But after Christmas many of these shoppers will be
seeking to return unwanted or faulty presents, not forgetting having to settle
the dreaded credit card bill!
Here are the West Yorkshire Trading Standards
Service’s top ten tips to make sure you have a cracker of a Christmas.
1) Shop around when hunting down Christmas presents. Don’t be too hasty to grab a bargain. If it sounds too good to be true, it may well be just that. Compare prices and factors such as after sales service
2) Not only is Santa Claus coming to town. At Christmas time empty shops are frequently occupied by traders, offering seemingly great bargains, particularly on electrical goods. Unfortunately these goods are often of poor quality. But the trader may no longer be there when the festivities are over.
3) If you are filling those stockings with expensive goods over £100, pay on your credit card if possible. This may give you extra protection under the Consumer Credit Act if things go wrong.
4) Make sure that it is only Santa that comes down your chimney this Christmas. A lot of household burglaries happen over the Christmas period. Make sure you safeguard the presents that you have bought.
5) If you are buying gift vouchers as a present, always check first to see if they have an expiry date in the small print on the back.
6)
There is nothing worse than
Santa Claus bringing faulty presents to your house and having a disappointed
child on Christmas morning. Always make sure that you examine the goods as soon
as you can. Take defective goods back immediately. You cannot expect a refund if
you take the goods back a month after purchase.
7)
Make sure it is only the turkey that gets stuffed. Avoid counterfeit
goods. Take care to avoid street traders selling cut-price perfume, branded
goods or videos. Very often these are poor quality counterfeit goods and the
sellers are operating illegally.
8) Christmas often heralds the arrival of dangerous seasonal products. Ensure that you decorate the tree with safe decorations and fairy lights. Check that lights have the CE mark and that the wiring is double insulated. They should also carry clear instructions and the name and address of the manufacturer.
9)
Check the trader’s returns policy before you buy those presents. You
have no rights if you chose a gift that turns out to be unwanted or if you
select an unsuitable item. So if your Aunt did not like her new gloves or if the
Christmas tree is too big for your lounge, you don’t have an automatic right
to a refund. Some shops will refund
or exchange in these circumstances, but this is only as a goodwill gesture.
10)
Don’t be a pudding. Keep
you receipt. Traders are entitled to ask for proof of purchase. If you keep your
receipt this should prevent disputes later on if you need to take unwanted or
faulty presents back to the shop.
If you cannot resolve your complaint you can contact the West Yorkshire Consumer
Helpline, on 01133 848 848 Mon - Fri 9.30 – 6.30, Saturday 9.00 – 5.00
Councillor Graham
Clarke, Chairman of the West Yorkshire Trading Standards Committee said ‘Christmas can be a busy time for traders and consumers.
But by following the advice of Trading Standards you should be well on the way
to avoiding problems over the season of goodwill. But if things go wrong the
consumer helpline advisors will give practical legal advice to try and ensure
you have a Merry Christmas.
For
further information please contact:
Graham Hebblethwaite, Divisional Manager/ General Media Contact 0113 289 8218
Paul
Cooper, Divisional Manager 0113 289 8240.
Paul
Smith, Senior Enforcement Officer 0113 289 8219