{"id":30809,"date":"2025-01-07T21:41:32","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T21:41:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=30809"},"modified":"2025-01-07T21:41:32","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T21:41:32","slug":"know-your-rights-this-shopping-season-and-bag-a-bargain-not-a-return-regret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/01\/07\/know-your-rights-this-shopping-season-and-bag-a-bargain-not-a-return-regret\/","title":{"rendered":"Know your rights this shopping season and bag a bargain not a return regret"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>With the Boxing Day sales launching today, NSW Fair Trading is encouraging shoppers to be savvy about their rights before they hit the stores or start clicking \u2018add to cart\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every consumer has the right to purchase products which are safe, fault-free, and fit for purpose under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), and if a product doesn\u2019t meet these standards, customers are entitled to a repair, replacement, or refund\u2014even during the festive sales shopping season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you&#8217;re splurging on a luxury gift, or hunting for a Boxing Day bargain, consumer rights don\u2019t take a holiday during the shopping season, and these rights apply equally to full-priced and sale items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NSW Fair Trading has already handled more than 6,300 complaints this year about defective or unsatisfactory products, ranging from broken gadgets to poor-quality purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To avoid adding to this tally, shoppers should stay informed and prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Common refund and return pitfalls to remember:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>No receipt, no refund? \u2013 Not necessarily. Proof of purchase doesn\u2019t have to be a paper receipt. Bank statements, digital invoices, or an email invoice can support your claim.<\/li><li>Change of mind? \u2013 While many retailers do offer refunds or exchanges just because you changed your mind, retailers aren\u2019t legally required to, so check their policy first.<\/li><li>Sales stock rights? \u2013 Discounted items aren\u2019t \u2018lesser goods\u2019. Sale items are still covered by the same refund rights as full-priced ones, unless the fault was disclosed upfront.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Tips for savvy festive shoppers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Check the return policy \u2013 Policies differ between retailers, particularly for change-of-mind returns. Some stores offer flexibility, while others stick to stricter rules.<\/li><li>Inspect before you buy \u2013 Whether in-store or online, examine the product details carefully to avoid surprises. For online purchases, ensure the seller has a clear returns process.<\/li><li>Keep proof of purchase \u2013 Snap a photo of your receipt or save your digital confirmation. This could save you a lot of hassle.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about consumer rights or to lodge a complaint, visit the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsw.gov.au\/legal-and-justice\/consumer-rights-and-protection\/repairs-replacements-and-refunds\">NSW Fair Trading website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNobody wants to play refund roulette over the holidays, and knowing your rights before you shop can help you avoid disappointment during the festive shopping season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cConsumer rights don\u2019t take a holiday when it comes to repairs, replacements, or refunds, and these rights apply equally to full-priced and sale items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf you unwrap a faulty gift or discover your sale bargain doesn\u2019t meet expectations, don\u2019t let the discount stop you from asking for a repair, replacement, or refund \u2013 the Australian Consumer Law protects you no matter what the price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA little extra effort upfront, like reading return policies and keeping your receipt, can save you from a big headache later on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the Boxing Day sales launching today, NSW Fair Trading is encouraging shoppers to be savvy about their rights before they hit the stores or start clicking \u2018add to cart\u2019. Every consumer has the right to purchase products which are safe, fault-free, and fit for purpose under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), and if a &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/01\/07\/know-your-rights-this-shopping-season-and-bag-a-bargain-not-a-return-regret\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Know your rights this shopping season and bag a bargain not a return regret&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30809"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30809\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30810,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30809\/revisions\/30810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}