National Consumer Week quiz
National Consumer Week, which started in 1989, aims to make consumers more aware of their consumer rights and responsibilities. This year's theme was 'Be a savvy shopper this Christmas'.
As part of this week, Ealing Trading Standards invited residents to complete a quiz to test their knowledge of their legal rights when buying goods and services. Entries with the most correct answers had a chance of winning a £20 Marks and Spencer voucher.
Quiz questions
1. You bought a digital music player online as a present but when it arrives you don't like the colour. What are your rights?
a. You have no rights.
b. You can return the item within seven working days and
get a full refund.
c. You will have to rely on the online retailer's
goodwill.
2. You receive a sweater from a high street store as a Christmas gift but it's three sizes too big. You have the receipt so what are your rights?
a. You can take it back and insist on a refund.
b. You can take it back and insist you get an exchange.
c. You can take it back and insist on a credit note.
d. You have no rights and you may have to rely on the
retailer's goodwill.
3. You buy a pair of shoes in the pre-Christmas sales, but one of the heels starts to come away the first time you wear them. What are your rights?
a. You have no rights as you bought the shoes in the sale.
b. You have the same rights for sale items as you do for
full price.
c. You will have to rely on the retailer's
goodwill.
4. You decide to buy a new telly in time for the family visit. It works fine for a couple of months then mysteriously stops working. You take it back with the receipt and the shop accepts the fault but only offers you a repair. Where do you stand?
a. You can reject the goods and demand a full refund.
b. A repair would be a reasonable offer.
c. You should contact the manufacturer.
5. You are interested in improving the insulation of your home before winter sets in, and you arrange for a double glazing salesman to visit you at home. After the sales pitch, you sign an agreement for a new windows costing £15,000 but as soon as the salesman leaves you have second thoughts. What are your rights?
a. You have signed an agreement and therefore you are bound
by it.
b. You should have seven days to cancel.
c. You should have fourteen days to cancel.
6. You see a DVD box set that's perfect for your brother priced at just £10. When you get to the till the sales assistant says it's wrongly priced and should be £30. He refuses to sell it at the cheaper price. What are your rights?
a. You can insist on purchasing it at £10.
b. You don’t have any right to purchase at the lower
price but could tell Trading Standards who can investigate pricing
errors.
c. You are entitled to the goods free of charge because
of the mistake
7. You order a pair of shoes for a Christmas party from a catalogue on 1 December but they don't arrive in time for the party on 20 December. When should they be delivered?
a. There is no time limit.
b. Goods bought by mail order must be delivered within
14 days or you can claim a full refund.
c. Goods bought by mail order should be delivered
within 30 days or you can claim a full refund.
8. You bought a games console two months ago and now it doesn’t work. You return it to the retailer who says you must have misused it and that you need a report to prove that it's faulty before he has to do anything. Is this correct?
a. Yes, the onus is on the customer to prove that the goods
are faulty if this is disputed.
b. No, for the first six months there is a presumption
that the goods are faulty unless the retailer can prove
otherwise.
9. You pay a deposit on a leather sofa costing £500 but the company goes bust leaving you without your sofa or your deposit. You have paid using a credit card and you find out you can claim against your credit card company but under what conditions?
a. The cash price for a single item purchased is between
£100 and £30,000.
b. The cash price for a single item purchased is between
£1,000 and £300,000.
c. The transaction takes place in the UK only.
10. You feel really let down by a company that has fobbed you off with faulty goods or poor service and ruined your Christmas. You want to complain but don't know who to turn to for advice. Should you:
a. convince yourself that complaining never works anyway
b. expect a knight in shining armour to solve all your
consumer problems
c. call Consumer Direct for clear, practical and
impartial advice on 08454 04 05 06