’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the mall,
Shoppers were wide eyed, finishing off their haul.
The store windows were decked out in their finest décor,
With tinsel and teddy bears and electronics galore.

Retail stores aren’t bound by any law to provide refunds or returns to consumers. Some consumers opt to use a credit card when making a purchase as it can add some extra protection (in comparison to using cash or a debit card). Check out this blog post if you’re curious to know what’s involved with requesting – and potentially receiving – a refund from a merchant or credit card provider.

Recently I was furniture shopping and found a perfect dining room suite. I thought to myself that even though it was expensive, if I purchased it on credit I wouldn't have to pay interest for a whole year. It sounded like a great deal but was there a catch? What did the interest start adding up and what was I responsible for?

“What’s your return and refund policy” is a question you should always ask before paying for your purchase at a store.  Retail sales aren’t bound by law to provide mandatory returns or refunds. There are dozens of different return policies that can exist at stores and in order to be a savvy consumer, asking that one question can save you a lot of frustration if you decide that outfit you splurged on last week really isn’t as amazing as you thought.

According to news sources, over 82% of Canadians purchased something online last year.  The pros of shopping online include having the ability to easily browse interesting products and compare prices.  The cons include being extremely frustrated if something goes wrong.  Here are some tips on how to ensure sure your online shopping experiences are positive.

Our Inquiry team often receives calls from consumers who have just purchased a car from a BC dealership. The most common question we are asked is whether or not they can return the car if they are not satisfied. Often consumers think there is a grace period where they can return the car but this is not the case.  Once you purchase the car, most often you can’t return it.

Have you ever heard of the Travel Assurance Fund?  We received a call today from a consumer who wanted to access it but wasn’t really sure what it covered.

Have you “liked” our Consumer Protection BC Facebook page?  If not, come find us!  On our facebook page, we like to start the day off by posting a “call of the day” tip and keep everyone up to date on the latest consumer trends. We also like to keep consumers up to date on Twitter so follow us @ConsumerProBC.

As we are now full blown into the holiday shopping season, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about one of the most commonly asked questions about retail sales:  Are stores required to offer return, refund, or exchange policies?