As Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, Coventry Trading Standards is warning residents not to rush into hasty purchases but instead do your research first. Most importantly, be aware of your on-line shopping rights.

Trading Standards top ten Internet shopping tips:

• Only buy from reputable Internet traders you know and trust
• If you come across a trader you haven't used or heard of before, search for reviews on-line or check out their customer ratings
• Make sure the trader has a genuine address and landline number you can contact them on if things go wrong, not just an email address
• Be wary if products are too cheap as there is normally a good reason - they may be fakes -  counterfeit alcohol can contain dangerous chemicals and cheap electrical items may not meet current safety standards. For links to genuine retailers visit: https://www.brand-i.org/
• Buying online gives you a 14 day cooling off period to change your mind and return/cancel most goods or services purchased from a UK or EU trader
• You can return faulty or misdescribed goods free of charge to a trader, but you may have to pay to return goods if you simply change your mind
• Tighten up security before you shop online especially before Cyber Monday. Make sure all software on your computer is up-to-date and if you don’t already have it, install an anti-malware program. 
• Always use a secure form of payment to pay for goods or services, for example PayPal. Never simply transfer money
• Don’t enter your card details in to a website unless it is secure. Look out for the padlock sign and ‘https’ in the web address
• For purchases over £100, consider using a credit card for the purchase to give you extra consumer protection

Just remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

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The 2016 National Consumer Week campaign, Switched On, launches on Monday 28 November.

It is all about being #SwitchedOn when buying electrical goods so you know your rights if an item doesn’t work or is unsafe.

Before you buy

• It’s always important to do your research:
• Make sure you know your consumer rights so you know what to do if something goes wrong
• Research the item you’re thinking of buying - look online for reviews and ask friends and family
• Look out for fakes – always buy from a trustworthy retailer.

Returning a faulty or unsafe electrical item

If an electrical item you have bought is unsafe, or becomes unsafe, or breaks after you've used it, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the seller has to:

• give you a full refund within 30 days of you buying it
• repair it
• replace it

You should always speak to the person that sold you the item, not the manufacturer - even if they tell you it’s not their fault. It’s the seller’s responsibility to put things right, including if your item is damaged during their delivery or installation.

If another fault occurs, or the repair or replacement previously undertaken doesn't solve the problem, the seller should:

• Accept the item back from you, and give you a full refund within 6 months of the repair or replacement (or a partial refund after that time)
• Allow you to choose to keep the item, and give you some of your money back.

However, your rights might be different if you bought the item before 1 October 2015, when the Consumer Rights Act 2015 came into force.

Remember – if an item costs over £100.00, consider paying for it with a Credit Card as this gives you the same rights against the credit card company if things go wrong.

Buying online also gives you the right to cancel and change your mind within 14 days of receiving the item. There can also be risks, so it is important to follow some simple rules:

• Go directly to a store’s website instead of using search engines to look for deals.
• Look out for pop-ups as they could redirect you to malicious sites.
• Only use a secure connection - Look for the padlock icon when you go to check out.
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi to shop especially if entering personal data.

For help and advice on electrical home safety, including how to spot a fake and current safety recalls, visit www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk

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Watch out also for fraudsters using the name of other well known companies to commit their crimes as it makes their communication seem more legitimate.

A telephone caller claimed to be from TalkTalk and stated that there was a problem with a resident's Internet connection which was ‘corrupted’ and needed resolving. For this, remote access to the resident's computer would be required.

When the Westwood resident challenged the caller on the authenticity of the claim, the caller hung up!

TalkTalk have issued previous warnings on this topic, and have advised that they would never make contact with a customer in this way.

Scam attempts like this and those involving Microsoft are unfortunately common as are Phishing emails that look like they have come from a Bank, Building Society or legitimate company but have instead been sent by a fraudster looking to obtain your log in details enabling them to take control of your on-line account.

Our advice as with any unsolicited call or email from someone offering a service, is not to deal with them no matter what they say or claim.

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ALDI is recalling its Asian Cuisine Chinese Chicken Curry with Egg Fried Rice because it contains milk which is not declared within the ingredients list. This means the product is a possible health risk to anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents.

• Product: Chinese Chicken Curry with Egg Fried Rice
• Brand: Asian Cuisine
• Pack size: 450g
• Use By date: All ‘’use by’’ date codes

Advice: If you have bought the above product and have an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents do not eat it. Instead return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.

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Pip & Nut is recalling their Coconut Almond Butter because it contains peanut, which is not mentioned on the label. This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to peanuts.

• Product: Coconut Almond Butter
• Pack size: 250g
• Best Before date: 28 June 2017
• Batch code: 57956-28-5

Advice: If you have bought the above product and have an allergy to peanuts, do not eat it. Instead return it to the store from where it was bought or contact Pip & Nut by emailing thekernel@pipandnut.com or by calling 0203 422 6688.

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Maplin has been advised by their supplier 'SWANN' of the recall of the following products:

• Swann Wireless Door Chime Twin Pack with Mains Power A95TB
• Swann Wireless Door Chime with Mains Power N31QG

Swann has identified that, as a result of a manufacturing issue, in a small proportion of units the plastic around the assembly screws on the speaker unit can fracture, leading to the risk that the two halves of the unit may become detached from one another. This could cause the live internal electrical components to become exposed to the user, creating a risk of electric shock if the unit is plugged in to the mains electricity supply at the time.

This affects both single chime and double chime packs purchased from Maplin between 27 January 2016 and 31 October 2016.

If you have purchased one of these products from Maplin, please immediately refrain from using it and return it to store for a refund.

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