Shopping Advice for Young People
Know Your Rights
Did you know that you have the same rights as adults when buying
goods and services?
Consumer Direct has more
information and advice on buying goods and services.
Advice leaflets on buying goods and services are also available
from The Trading Standards
Institute Leaflets (TSI).
Shopping at Home
Have you ever bought goods or
services using the telephone, fax, mail order, internet and then
changed your mind? The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling)
Regulations 2000 give you a cooling-off period in which you can
change your mind and cancel the order (some exceptions to this
rule).
For goods
The cooling off period is seven
working days for after the day on which the goods are
received.
For services
The cooling off period is seven
working days after the day on which you agreed to go ahead with the
agreement. However, if the trader does not provide you with
information about your right to cancel the cooling off period may
be longer.
Internet
Shopping
Do you use the internet to buy
CD’s, DVD’s, and clothes? When you buy goods over the internet you
have the same rights as when you buy in a shop but the trader must
also give you some additional information. This includes clear
information about the goods or services offered, confirmation after
the purchase has been made and a cooling off period.
Internet
Auctions
Have you ever bought or sold
anything on E-bay or other internet auction site? Internet auctions
sites are increasingly popular and you can buy anything from toys,
books, clothes, DVD’s, concert tickets and lots more. There are a
few things to remember when buying from internet auctions:
- Remember you are not buying from the auction but from whoever
is selling the goods.
- You need to check out the seller, are the trustworthy? Have
they sold items before? Is there any feedback? Where are they
based? Can I get my money back if there is a problem with the
goods?
- Before you place a bid check out what you are buying and
compare prices. Make sure you do not end up paying more than what
the product is generally sold for.
- Check to see whether you will need to pay postage and how much
it will cost?
- How will you pay? Is your payment secure?
- Do not trade with someone outside the internet site even if
they seem genuine.
The Office of Fair Trading website
has more advice on shopping on the internet and internet
auctions.
Mobile
Phones
Mobile phones have become very
popular over the last few years. If you are under 18, you cannot
enter into contract for a mobile phone but you can buy a pay as you
go mobile phone.
If you have a mobile phone you need to be careful about scams.
Text Messages
One of the mobile phone scams is
where you receive a text message saying you have won a cash prize.
When you ring the number it is a premium rate number and the cost
of the call can be very high. If you get any messages that you
suspect might be a scam delete them immediately. If you have a
complaint about premium rate numbers you can contact The
Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone
Information Services (ICSTIS) who regulate companies who
use premium rate lines.
Ringtones
Have you ever been tempted to
subscribe to a text message service to receive a ringtone,
wallpaper or news alerts? If you decide to subscribe to such a
service you will be sent a number of premium rate text messages and
you are charged for every text message you receive. It can cost you
up to as much as £1.50 per message.
If you want to stop the expensive texts, all you need to do to
unsubscribe is send the word “STOP” to the short code.
Lost your mobile?
The National Mobile Phone Register
holds details of over 10 million phones. Register your phone. If your phone
is lost or stolen, report it to your network operator as soon as
possible. To find the right number for your network, call the
Immobilise information line on 08701 123 123.
Credit,
Banking and Debt advice
Credit
If you try to take out a loan or
credit card and you are under 18 it will likely to be refused
because a lender may not be able take a young person to court if
you breach the contract. Usually if you are under 18 you cannot
legally be held to a contract.
If you are over 18 and are thinking of
taking out a credit card or loan think very carefully and ask
yourself:
- What do you need the money for?
- Can you afford it?
- How will you pay it back?
- Can I afford the re-payments?
- How long will it take to pay back?
If you decide that you can afford
to pay it back then you should always shop around for the best
Annual Percentage Rate (APR). Do not be persuaded to borrow more
than you can afford. Remember you will be tied into an agreement
and if you do get into difficulties do not ignore the letters or
phone calls but get advice as soon as possible. There are a number
of places you can get free, impartial and confidential advice.
The Citizens Advice Bureau are
able to help young people on a wide range of issues such as debt
advice, employment and housing.
Banking
You can open a bank account at any
age but it is up to the bank or building society if they allow
under 18’s to open an account.
If you open a bank account be careful to avoid identity fraud. Do
not tell anyone your pin number, do not let your card out of your
sight, check your receipts and do not throw receipts away.
You might decide to do your banking on-line. You need to be aware
of a scam called “Phishing” where you are sent a bogus e-mails
asking for your bank account details and card number. Do not reply
to the e-mail even if it looks as if it has come from your bank or
building society.
Counterfeit Goods
It is illegal to sell, copy or supply
counterfeit goods. Every year Cheshire Trading Standards seizes
thousands of illegal counterfeit goods.
What are counterfeit goods?
Counterfeit goods look like the
real thing but are actually fakes. The most popular counterfeited
goods are DVD’s, CD’s, clothes, computer goods, alcohol, watches,
perfume, toys, car parts and cosmetics. New technology has made it
easier for criminals to make copies and it can be very difficult
for consumers to tell whether they are fake.
What is wrong with buying counterfeit goods?
You might think there is nothing wrong
with buying counterfeit goods but there are a number of reasons why
you should not buy them.
- Fake goods may be cheap but they are often made of shoddy
materials and are poor quality. You might buy a copied DVD that is
not yet released in the shops but when you get it home it might not
work properly or when you wash the fake sportswear it falls apart
in the wash. Remember if you buy fake goods it is unlikely that you
will be able to get a refund if things go wrong.
- The goods may be unsafe or dangerous. Fake cosmetics have been
known to cause nasty allergic reactions and fake car parts have
been know to fail and cause accidents.
- You could be giving money to criminals who use that money to
fund other crimes. Some counterfeiters deal in drugs or are
involved in other organised crime.
- Often the goods are made abroad in poor countries where the
workers are on very low wages.
- Counterfeiters cause legitimate businesses to lose millions of
pounds each year. This can result in people being made
redundant.
What to look for?
If goods are much cheaper than
elsewhere then be suspicious. Check the quality of the stitching on
the labels, and check the logos and brands for any spelling
mistakes. Look out for the same item in lots of different colours.
Designer goods are unlikely to be mass produced in that way. Copied
DVD’s often have photocopied covers and will be current titles not
yet released on DVD. Look for poor quality packaging.
Be extra careful when buying goods at car boot sales or markets
because you might not be able to find the trader again if things go
wrong.
If you know someone is selling counterfeit goods please contact us
on 0845 113 2500.
Useful links for shopping advice
Consumer Direct provides
online help and advice on a wide range of consumer issues. NB: The
Consumer Direct telephone advice service is not currently available
in Cheshire.
The Trading Standards
Institute provides advice on wide range of consumer rights
including buying goods and services.
Shopping advice on the Office of
Fair Trading website.
Advice for young people from Citizens Advice Bureau.
More information about
age restricted products.
