GREAT 'WHAT SHOPS DON'T WANT US TO KNOW" HUNT

tohopekalaiga_2

This is my first post and it might be in the wrong thread but here goes...
One of the most important things shops don't want you to know is that since 2002 under EU legislation ALL consumer goods have to be guaranteed for two years. See the EU consumer affairs page at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cons_int/safe_shop/guarantees/index_en.htm
So don't be put off by shop staff telling you you have only one year's guarantee. Stand up for your rights and tell them that they are breaking the law by only offering one year's guarantee.

Loobeylou

Had an insurance claim for a portable TV which blew a gasket during a storm, and had to get a replacement from Comet. The new TV unfortunately did not work at all and is going back for replacement today.

However, when I purchased the new portable, I did ask how much guarantee it had and the response was an immediate "twelve months". These shops need putting right!

nej

SydneyBristowe wrote:

Not a 'shop' as such, but probably useful to people

I've recently joined a posh gym. It was the second to last day of the current joining promotion and they were charging a £40 joining fee plus £51 monthly membership (corporate disc of £5 on regular membership) but if you signed up then you got freebies worth £94 for free.

I couldn't afford the £40 + pro rata membership to take me to the en of the month so close to pay day so asked if there was any chance of them reducing the joining fee. He said there was no way they could do that but asked if it would be helpful if he could redue the monthly payments to £42. I said that if he did manage it I'd almost definately sign up. Lo and behold teh next day he called saying that he'd managed to get me the deal so I'm paying £14 a month less than the regular membership

So... always try to wrangle a discount towards the end of a 'promotion' period. They have sales targets to hit and will do a lot to secure your business. Also worth in a City Centre to name drop a equivilent level competitor and see if they will price match.

My wife has joined a total of 3 gyms over the past few years and has not once paid a joining fee. They always want to charge one, but she just says she'll only join if they waive it.

Channard

Most printers do not come with a USB cable - and stores generally charge between seven and fifteen quid for these. Even if there's some kind of special offer on, just don't bother. All computer cables have a huge mark-up on them. Instead, get yourself down to your local poundshop where they'll sell USB printer cables for a pound. You can also get scart cables for a pound and the like.

In fact, if you go to Poundland, it gets even better. You can pick up network cables for a pound, mini-usb cables for a pound, USB hubs, iPod leads and more. All for a quid.

duputydugg

tohopekalaiga wrote:

This is my first post and it might be in the wrong thread but here goes...
One of the most important things shops don't want you to know is that since 2002 under EU legislation ALL consumer goods have to be guaranteed for two years. See the EU consumer affairs page at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cons_int/safe_shop/guarantees/index_en.htm
So don't be put off by shop staff telling you you have only one year's guarantee. Stand up for your rights and tell them that they are breaking the law by only offering one year's guarantee.

Don't think this is correct. Two years refers to the 'limitations period' not a guarantee period. If you read the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 (yep, I reallly am that sad), it doesn't even mention this two year period as it is already 6 years in the UK.
This means that if there is a defect then you have 2 (or in the UK, 6) years to persue your claim. Wragge & Co (law firm) have a useful summary at http://www.wragge.com/files/ConsumerGoods_Jan2002.pdf

bingo_bango

duputydugg wrote:

Don't think this is correct. Two years refers to the 'limitations period' not a guarantee period. If you read the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 (yep, I reallly am that sad), it doesn't even mention this two year period as it is already 6 years in the UK.
This means that if there is a defect then you have 2 (or in the UK, 6) years to persue your claim. Wragge & Co (law firm) have a useful summary at http://www.wragge.com/files/ConsumerGoods_Jan2002.pdf

I have to agree with that.

The Limitations Act is the legislation which specifies how long you have to take action under any particular piece of legislation. With regards The Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended), which actually includes The Sale And Supply of Goods to Consumers Regs 2002, this means that you can effectively pursue your rights for up to six years from the date of performance (when you actually receive the goods). The six year limitation will not apply to all goods, as not all goods would normally be expected to last six years. Commonsense is required in your interpretation.
The above EU legislation is not intended to replace the Sale Of Goods Act, rather than to act as a guide for those countries who do not already have consumer legislation on an acceptable level. As we already have adequate protection in the Uk, the EU rules do not affect us. If anything, they just highlight how good consumer protection legislation is here.

monkeylina

Hi there, I was recently double charged for something in tesco. When I went to complain they gave me back the money for the item overcharged, and what I had actually bought! Plus, I got to keep the clubcard points! This was excellent, I thought.

Ikea gave me free coffee vouchers for honesty when I got home after shopping and realised I hadn't been charged for an item. Not only did I get the item as a gift, they gave me the vouchers too.

If you find anything wrong with a product, however trivial, it's always worth complaining to the manufacturer! I went through a phase of buing Walkers French Fries, which went through a phase of not being properly sealed. When I returned the single pack and the multipack wrapper only I got varying vouchers between £2 and £5 to spend on more walkers products, which often had faults to complain about too!

Interflora, if you ask for a manager when you have a complaint, will be generous just to clear the complaint.

Watch out for lastminute.com when booking hotels. They charge £100 cancellation fees!

Call your mobile phone company direct for upgrades and tariff changes. They will often be able to offer better deals than the high street and won't want you to leave the company.

Not tricks really but useful!

Xeryus

khdgsa wrote:

If you know that NEXT have a sale coming up within a day or so, go into the store and examine the pricetags. You will see a number written in pencil on them which is the price the item will be in the sale. E.g. if the number is 1999, the sale price will be £19.99 - so go back the next day !

That's basically correct, but they actually mark the sale price preceeded and succeeded by 00 (I suppose this is nitpicking, but I'm bored).

So an £39.99 item reduced to 'half price' would be indicated on the reverse of the POS ticket by 00199900.

Also if any one is interested, this years NEXT sale will have a different 'further reductions' day than normal. I've been told by management at my old store that Womenswear will be selling all sale jeans for £10 - and tops (I think) for £5. I'm sure she said it's happening this Saturday (29th). Apparently, they somehow had a HUUUGE amount of SS06 stock to shift - even though they still performed very well.

irishwench69

superhoop wrote:

Apologies if this is verging on the libellous, but I hear on the grapevine that Debenhams have been trying to extract themselves from their link-up with the Nectar card loyalty scheme, and therefore are not actively asking customers for cards at the till.

I suspect this is true since:

- I haven't seen any Debenhams offers in my last couple Nectar mailings

Don't miss your Nectar points if you shop at Debenhams!

Steve

I had a bonus points voucher (1,000 pts when you spend £35 or more) in my last mailing

They (Debenhams) also talk about it in their latest in-store mag.....

Hope this isn't true - it's one of the few places I actually get Nectar points from!

x

suki21

This was true when I used to work at M&S a couple of years ago, but I'm not 100% sure it still exists.

Most people probably know about their collect by car service - do lots of shopping, pay and then you can collect your shopping later in the day - but what they keep secret is something called 'Select Now, Pay Later' -pretty self explanatory! What it means is that you can take your trolley round, fill it up then go to customer services / information, tell them you want SNPL and they'll take your trolley with the unpaid shopping to the warehouse, process & bag it all up there and you pay for it when you pick it up at the collect by car place later. Especially good if they're really busy, and the slots never used to get filled up because no-one knew about it.

Worth an ask, anyway - if anyone tries it let me know if it still exists. (There's no way my student budget stretches to M&S food!)