2. There are laws in place to protect consumers need
to be protected against false and misleading
claims that can be found on the packaging of
products and also in advertisements. The laws are
also in place to protect consumers against
dishonest behaviour by salespeople or service
providers.
Why are there laws in existence that
protect consumers?
3. Who can you contact to get advice on
whether your rights as a consumer
have been violated?
As a consumer, you can gain advice on your rights
by contacting the company that you bought your
product. If you have any concerns, the first place to
go is the provider or manufacturer of your chosen
product. From there, if you were not able to find the
acquired information, you could do an on-line
search for a government approved website
containing information regarding your chosen area
of question. If the violation is very serious and can
deeply affect you, then you might want to consider
consulting a lawyer but only do this if it is extremely
necessary and serious otherwise you might be
wasting a lot of money.
4. In what circumstances are you bale to get a
refund for a purchase?
As a consumer, you are protected by law against faulty
products. If your product is deficient, you are often able
to ask for a refund. You can ask for a refund if the
problem with the product is major - this may include
breakage or false promises that the product does not
live up to. The likeliness for getting a refund on a
product is affected by four features - the type of
product, how a consumer is likely to use the product,
the length of time for which it is reasonable for the
product to be used and the amount of use it could
reasonably be expected to tolerate before the failure
becomes noticeable. A retailer cannot refuse to help
you if your product does not measure up to what it is
promised to be and it is likely that you will get a refund
if your product is deficient, broken or is not what is was
promised to be.
5. In what circumstances are you able to get a
refund for a purchase?
Paid for something that never arrived? As a consumer,
you have a right to complain, something that the Office
of Fair Trading. If you have not been able to resolve a
problem with a business or trader you can lodge a
complaint. Bought faulty goods? If a dispute cannot be
settled by the parties involved we will try to conciliate
the matter with the trader steps:
Step 1: Try to resolve your complaint first
Step 2: Refer your complaint to the relevant industry
association
Step 3: Understand how we handle your complaints
Step 4: Make an official complaint to us
