With Mother's Day just around the corner, consumers are being reminded to shop safely and know their rights, said Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury.
"When buying gifts this Mother's Day, consumers should make sure they know their rights and protections under the Australian Consumer Law," said Mr Bradbury.
Consumers should:
- Keep your receipts: Make sure you keep track of your receipts if you or the gift recipient wants to exchange or return a purchase. Also pay attention to the returns policy at the store.
- Check for unsafe goods: Do your research when shopping to ensure that the gifts you buy are safe. Check the Product Safety Recalls Australia website or download the app.
- Avoid scams: Protect yourself when shopping online, including doing your research on sellers and websites to avoid being scammed. Visit the Scam Watch website to find the latest scams and ways to protect yourself.
- Stop before purchasing that extended warranty: Consumer guarantees require a product or service to be of acceptable quality and last a reasonable time after purchase. Before deciding to purchase an extended warranty, consumers should weigh up whether the warranty provides any additional rights over those provided under law.
Consumers should also be careful when purchasing or receiving a gift card.
"Consumers should check the expiry dates and terms and conditions on gift cards," said Mr Bradbury. "A gift card is not cash and consumers may not be able to redeem a gift card in the event of a retailer becoming insolvent."
Mr Bradbury said information about rights and protections under the Australian Consumer Law are also contained in a free app for mobile devices.
"The free ACCC Shopper app provides useful information to consumers and allows users to store a gift card expiry date reminder," he said. "It also allows consumers to photograph and store a copy of their receipt, giving users a proof of purchase if products are faulty."
For more information about consumer rights and the free ACCC Shopper app, go to the ACCC website.