The craze for shopping won't end with the New Year but will intensify as soon as we start seeing the word 'sale' on shop windows. The post-Christmas sales, in fact, can offer good bargains to consumers. The trick is to spot the right time for a genuine sale and best deals, and to hit the high street as soon as sales kick off.
When shopping, we should constantly keep in mind that our rights do not disappear just because prices are reduced. Consumer rights during sales remain the same. This basically means that if the item purchased turns out to be faulty, the shop must offer us free of charge repair, replacement or refund.
Hence, shops that put up notices claiming that goods sold during a sale cannot be returned or are not refundable if they result defective, are acting illegally.
In case of shop-soiled items sold at a reduced price, care should be taken to double-check what the defects are. Some sale goods are marked down because of a fault, such as a broken zip or a stain. If such flaws are pointed out prior to purchasing an item, we have no right to complain. If a fault develops, we are entitled to the same rights as if the product was purchased at a normal price.
When we purchase products that result defective after prices are reduced, if the only possible remedy is a refund of the money paid, the refund price should be the price we paid at the time of purchase and not the discounted price. In these situations it would be useful to present the receipt as proof of what we actually paid for. If, on the other hand, there is no fault with the goods and we return them during a sale, then the shop will most likely be only willing to refund us the reduced price.
In fact, in cases where we change our minds, legal protection does not apply. In this case, what we are, or are not entitled to depends entirely on the shop's returns policy. Thus, if a retailer decides to implement a no-returns policy, he/she is not doing anything illegal. This does not only apply to the sales period but is an all-year-round policy. It is therefore always worth double-checking the shop's refund policy before buying anything.
Purchasing products at a reduced price is not always equivalent to a bargain. Sometimes we end up buying products just because the price was low. After a few days we usually realise that the item was never used or worn, and not only was it not a bargain but was actually a waste of money.
'Fantastic offers' and 'major price reduction claims' should not blindly impress us. For instance, it is against the law for shops to pretend that goods have been reduced when in actual fact such goods were never taken out for sale.
Therefore, we should be aware of this and think twice before trusting some shops that buy goods specifically to sell during sale time.
Some signs actually say that new stock is being sold at half price. It is always worthwhile to first shop around and see what other shops are offering. Only by doing so we can spot where the real bargains are.
Should you encounter any misleading practices, file a report with the Consumer and Competition Division by calling Freephone 8007 4400.
customer@timesofmalta.com
odette.vella@gov.mt
Ms Vella is senior information officer, Consumer and Competition Division.