Weekly consumer tips

• Know who the seller is and obtain in writing the company's contact details.

• Make sure you know how the product works.

• The product's manual and terms and conditions of the sale should be kept handy.

• When shopping online we should look out for any hidden costs.

• Be particularly cautious of delivery fees and packaging and posting expenses.

• Check and ask about commercial guarantees.

• In case of a dispute, it's the consumer protection laws of the country from where the product is purchased that apply.

• The same basic consumer rights apply across the EU.

• Thanks to the European Consumer Centres it is easier to solve a dispute if the trader is European.