Shop Smart this Holiday Season

 

 

 

 

The Holidays are the busiest shopping season of the year.  To ensure that your Holiday shopping is hassle free, the Broward County Consumer Protection Section reminds you to be a smart shopper.  The following information will help you avoid problems in the marketplace.

With the Holidays comes multitude of advertisements offering pre-season sales, discounts, rebates and other inducements.  The following are some helpful hints to determine which is the best deal:

• " Always compare prices and shop around.  Remember the "sale price" may not be the "best" price. The best way to make comparisons of a specific item is to compare "apples to apples"; know the name of the manufacturer, the model and/or stock number or other identifying information.  If a "sale price" is advertised every day during the year, then the price is really the regular price.
• " Always read the sale advertisements carefully since there may be conditions such as "quantities limited," "not available at all stores," or "no rain checks."  To save time and money, especially for hard to find or popular merchandise, you should call ahead to determine the availability and whether the merchant will hold the merchandise until you can get to the store (this saves time and fuel cost).
• " Always try to find out if the merchant has a price-matching and sale adjustment policy.  Many merchants will match or beat their competitor's price.  Some merchants will adjust the price you paid if the merchandise goes on sale within a specific time after you purchased it at the regular price. Therefore, get a copy of the merchant's pricing policy, read it and keep it.
• " Always ask about the merchant's refund and return polices for regular and sale items.  When possible, get a written copy of the merchant's refund/return policy.  Remember, you may have certain legal rights under state law.

Holiday shopping, as with all buying, may create problems such as wrong size, defective merchandise, merchandise not delivered or different than ordered.  It is important to know your rights and take precautions in order to avoid or resolve problems.  The following should be helpful:

• " Always know your rights.  Merchants, including catalog and e-tailers, are required to ship an order within the time stated in their advertisement, website or in the catalog.  The law requires that when there is no specific shipping date the merchant must ship the order within 30 days after receiving it.  If the merchant cannot ship within the 30 days, the merchant must allow the consumer to agree to the delay or the cancel the order and receive a prompt refund.
• " Always keep all purchase records including sales receipts, warranties, advertisements, rebate information and invoices.  If you use the Internet, download, print and keep all information regarding your order, including the webpage, policies, and the information on the merchandise ordered.  For catalog sales, keep the catalog, especially the merchandise information and the company's policies.
• " Always contact the merchant if you have a problem.  If you are having difficulty in resolving a problem or complaint, contact your Broward County Consumer Protection Section at 954-765-4400 and press 8, or  www.broward.org/consumer.