Essentially Local May-June 2017

Trading Standards
Domestic Services
Savvy shopping for Father’s Day
40% of dads would rather spend time
with their families than receive a gift,
yet that still leaves a lot of Father’s
Day shopping!
From comedy ties dad will be
too embarrassed to wear to costly
experience days – protect yourself:
• Ask for a gift receipt. Proof of
purchase is required for returns
or exchanges or risk receiving an
exchange at a lower price.
• Check the terms and conditions.
Look for ease of cancellation,
refunds and replacements.
• Check the small print for
additional fees or limitations
before you buy. Some activities
may restrict on health, weight
or other limitations.
• Gift Cards and Certificates. Check
the terms and conditions for use by
dates and exclusions.
• Shopping on-line, check who you
are dealing with. URL link should
start “https://” (the ‘s’ means it is
secure) when ordering on-line. Look
for a small padlock icon (corner of the
URL bar) to show it’s a secure site.
• Understand your on-line shopping
rights. You normally have a 14 day
cancellation period when buying
on-line, to allow for change of mind.
The seller can ask you to pay to
return unwanted goods to them.
Exemptions include dated sporting
events, check before you buy in
case you need to return it.
• E-Cards: Don’t open an e-card
unless you know who sent it and
be wary of opening attachments.
A ‘fake’ e-card could open your
computer up to malware and
spyware. Delete suspicious emails.
Taking these few precautions should
protect you and your Dad from nasty
surprises this Father’s Day.
Claire Kendall
Trading Standards Milton Keynes
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