Edition 3- Trading Standards Residents Newsletter- Christmas Shopping advice, latest news and scam advice.

Trading Standards Residents Newsletter
Christmas baubles

Know your rights this Christmas.

With Christmas just around the corner, lots of us will be out buying presents for friends and family. Hopefully we get it right and the presents are appreciated by the intended recipient. However make sure you know your rights if you need to return the items after Christmas for whatever reason.

If the item is faulty or was not as described information on your rights can be found on the Citizen Advice website here.

When buying from a retail store, please note that you do not have a legal right to a refund or replacement if you simply change your mind.

The store may however have their own returns policy offering a refund or exchange for a limited period of time and some stores provide an extended time to return goods over the Christmas period to allow for the return of unwanted Christmas gifts. It is always worth asking BUT you are reliant on the individual store's policy!

If you are buying online or at a distance you get a 14 day cooling off period which starts the day after you receive the goods.   If the trader has not given you all the required legal information relating to your cancellation rights then you may have longer to return the goods.  

If you would like more advice on your rights then you can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 04 05 06.

cacs

Make sure the presents you buy this Christmas are Safe

None of us can resist a bargain, especially when we have lots of presents to buy at this time of year for family or friends.

The latest craze this year and one of the must buy presents of 2015 is a 'hoverboard'. Please be careful that you do not buy a cheaper and potentially unsafe version. The following links take you to recent articles warning about the safety of some ‘hoverboards’ that are available.

Thousands of unsafe 'hoverboards' detained over past seven weeks

Avoid Christmas hoverboard horror

Trading Standards officers seize 15,000 unsafe hoverboards

Useful advice and guidance when purchasing a hover board can be found here.

When buying presents or novelty Christmas decorations you must ensure that children cannot easily access the batteries. A recent press release we issued about the dangers of button batteries can be found here.

SCAM ALERT: Fake Microsoft compensation emails

The National Trading Standards eCrime Team have issued a press release about a recent scam which warns consumers about emails from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) offering compensation to victims of computer software service fraud. For more information you can find the press release here.

Recent Warnings issued by West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service

The following press releases have been issued by our colleagues in the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.

‘Check your tumble dryer’ urges Chief Fire Officer after safety notice

Wheat bag warning after lucky escape for elderly lady in Goring

Recent Trading Standards news

Trading Standards Officers work hard to protect consumers and legitimate businesses by taking appropriate action to tackle unfair and illegal trading. 

The following links takes you to recent Trading Standards press releases:

Heartless conman jailed for six years after robbing his ‘customers’

Facebook seller caught with fake DVDs

Investigation shows sheep meat being sold as “goat”

Shopkeeper fined for selling illegal tobacco

Twitter

You can keep up to date with what Trading Standards are doing by following us on Twitter. All our latest tweets can be found here.

Product Recall Information

You can find the latest information on products and food items which have been recalled for safety reasons by clicking here.  

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