How to shop smart - Customers right of return

How many times have you bought something to find when you get home it is has a problem, or not as advertised? It may not work as described or does not come with the all the attachments. You did your homework, checked out the opposition prices and warranties. You even paid for extra twelve months or two years warranty, to be on the safe side.

Shop Smart, customers have rights

Where did you fail?

Did you ask the right questions?

Do your homework. Check out all the details before spending your hard-earned money.

Ask these questions before buying anything:

• Check out the warranty and place to return item in case faulty: You may have bought your article locally, yet to have it repaired you have to send or take it to another district. This costs you more money.

• Compare opposition prices and amount of warranty offered: This could save you money and received extra warranty, simply by asking.

• Compare benefits and features against other brands of similar item: They may look the same, although another could offer the current model with new added features.

• Compare added incentive buys, like attachments offered: Printers for instance, some may print more pages. They may offer you extra ink to buy that particular model. They may want to pass off a superseded model to you, so be cautious.

• Ask how much for cash: Many stores will reduce the prices, to encourage you to come back again.

• Shop local, because it may be cheaper, buying from another district, but at what cost? You may obtain a better deal by driving to the next suburb. If it is faulty, and you have to return it a few times, you have lost the original advantage. In fact, it will cost you far more in the end.

Therefore, Shop Smart and do your homework. If something does happen at least you have done all you could to prevent some of these things from happening to you.

We bought a TV locally. When it played up we had to take it 25 kilometers away for service, as they were the agents for that particular brand. Then go back when fixed to pick it up.

Persistence paid off in the end:

I went to an optician and bought new glasses. When I came home and tried to read with them, I felt disorientated. I went back and complained. They reassured me that it might take a couple of days to become used to them.

A week later, I returned. They took them out the back and came back, saying, they were the same as my earlier ones. You could see it on his face, virtually suggesting that I was imagining the problem, and making me feel like an idiot.

Over time, I would try to read with them, continually returning to use my real old glasses, and frustrated one day I threw them across the floor.

My husband made me go back and see them yesterday. WAIT FOR THIS! I told the girl my problem and said I bought them about 18 months ago and explained everything. She held them up to the light and said an amazing thing. "I think they have put the lenses on the wrong side." In other words, the left one put in the right space and the right in the left side.

No wonder, I could not see properly. I was not mad after. No one in the whole shop could believe that a previous manager could make that mistake. So after two years I can actually read with my now, old glasses. It is truly amazing.

The moral of this story, which prompted me to write this article. Never ever, give up if you have a problem.

Practical rights for business

The rights of customers

Human rights for customers