Are you ‘switched on’ to your consumer rights?
Trading Standards officers from Birmingham City Council will host a series of roadshows across the city promoting shoppers’ rights, as part of National Consumer Week, from next Monday (28 November).
A third of all safety-related complaints Birmingham’s Trading Standards team receives are about electrical goods – from hairdryers to washer dryers, smart TVs to fridge freezers - as consumers can get an unwanted shock when their products prove to be faulty or dangerous.
With Christmas fast approaching, consumers should be #SwitchedOn to their rights when buying electrical goods, so residents will be able to raise issues and get advice from Trading Standards officers at four locations – Northfield, Shard End, Spring Hill and Sutton Coldfield.
Trading Standards officers will be holding advice surgeries at the following locations:
- Monday 28 November 2016 - 10am-12.30pm: Sainsbury’s, Frankley Beeches Road, Northfield, B31 5AA.
- Wednesday 30 November 2016 - 10am-12.30pm - Shard End Community Centre, 170 Packington Avenue, B34 7RD.
- Thursday 1 December 2016 - 10am-12.30pm: Mere Green Community Centre, 30A Mere Green Road, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, B75 5BT.
- Friday 2 December 2016 - 1pm-3.30pm: Tesco, Spring Hill, B18 7BH.
By visiting community venues, our Trading Standards team will offer people advice to increase their understanding of and ability to exercise these rights.
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 makes it clear what protection customers have when they buy goods in stores or online which are later found to be faulty. People are now entitled to a full refund if they return faulty goods within 30 days of purchase
Cllr Barbara Dring, Chair of the city council’s Licensing and Public Protection Committee, said: “This year’s Switched On campaign is vital to ensure people both understand and have the ability to exercise these new rights, so I would encourage people to attend one of these events if they can.
“Consumers who know their rights will have the confidence to complain when goods, especially electrical products, are faulty – and therefore could be dangerous.
“These National Consumer Week roadshows, also provide an opportunity for people to raise any queries with our Trading Standards team.”
The advice comes ahead of National Consumer Week which runs from Monday (28 November) until Sunday (4 December) and encourages people to get #SwitchedOn to their consumer rights and shop with confidence.
The campaign is run by Citizens Advice, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
If you have any queries about the new Consumer Rights Act 2015, please call the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.
ENDS
Editor’s notes:
So far in 2016/17, 84 of 252 (33 per cent) safety complaints received by Birmingham’s Trading Standards team related to electrical products.
In 2015/16 that figure was 89 of 277 (32 per cent).
