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Canadian Consumer Handbook - Consumer Tips: Buying
Consumer Tips
Buying
Before You Buy
- Take advantage of sales, but always compare prices. Do not assume an item is a bargain just because it is advertised as one. Don't rush into an expensive purchase because the "price is only good today."
- If direct selling (sale that takes place without any intermediary like door-to-door, television sales, etc), check whether the company is licensed or registered at the local or provincial level.
- Contact your provincial or territorial consumer protection agency for any consumer information they might have on this type of purchase.
- Be aware of extra charges such as delivery fees, installation charges, service costs, and postage and handling fees. Add them into the total cost of your purchase. A complete directory of organizations is available at the end of the present guide.
- Ask about the company's refund or exchange policy.
- Read the warranty. Note what is covered and what is not. Find out what you must do and what the manufacturer or seller must do when there is a problem.
- Never sign a contract without reading it. Don't sign a contract when there are any blank spaces in it or when you don't understand it. In fact, do not sign any document that you do not understand.
- Before buying a product or service, contact your consumer protection office to see whether there are automatic cancellation periods for the purchase you are making. In some provinces and territories, there is a cancellation period for contracts for credit, dating clubs, health clubs, pre-need funeral and cemetery services, time shares,
natural gas, electricity, and door-to-door sales (please also see the section on special contracts).
- Walk out or hang up on high-pressure sales tactics. Don't be forced or pressured into buying anything.
- Only do business over the telephone with companies you know.
- Be suspicious of post office box addresses. These might indicate that a business does not want to be found. If you have a complaint later on, you might have trouble locating the company.
- Do not respond to any prize or gift offer that requires you to pay even a small amount of money up front.
- Use unit pricing in supermarkets to compare what items really cost. Unit pricing allows you to compare the price gram-for-gram, kilogram-for-kilogram. As an example, bigger packages are not always cheaper than smaller ones.
- Use coupons carefully. Do not assume they are the best deal until you've compared the price you would pay with a coupon to the prices of competitive products.
- Do not rely on a salesperson's promises. Get everything in writing.
After You Buy
- Read and follow product and service instructions.
- Read the warranty so that you understand what is covered and for how long.
- Be aware that how you use and take care of a product might affect your warranty rights.
- Keep all sales receipts, warranties, service contracts and instructions.
- When you have a problem, contact the company as soon as possible. Trying to fix the product yourself might cancel your right to service under the warranty.
- Keep a written record of any contact with the company.
- When you have a problem, check with your consumer protection office to find out about the warranty rights in your province or territory.
- Check your contract for any statement about your cancellation rights. Contact your consumer protection office to see whether a cancellation period applies.
- When you take a product in for repair, be sure the technician or person taking it in understands and writes down the problem you have described. Ask for and keep a copy of the repair order. Get an estimate on the cost of repairs before allowing the work to go ahead.
- Cat. No. Iu20-1/2005E-HTML
- ISBN 0-662-39048-2
- 54225Z
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