Product Safety at Christmas
Christmas is an exciting time of year, but also brings with it lots of social pressures to buy the most wanted gifts that often come with a hefty price tag. Panic buying and sourcing gifts from cheaper outlets can bring unwanted dangers to your homes.听
On this page you'll find some key tips to ensure everyone enjoys the festivities without incident or injury. These tips are particularly helpful if you are shopping from third-party sellers on online marketplaces - especially those on social media platforms.
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Guidance for shopping safely online
1.听 Learn your consumer rights
- Before buying: Read the terms and conditions carefully, and make sure you know when and for how long you can return products and claim a refund.
2.听 Read the product description carefully
- Ensure you thoroughly read the product description: including the size, condition and any other relevant details. This helps to avoid surprises when the product arrives.
3.听 Protect your personal information
- Avoid sharing unnecessary personal information with the seller: Stick to the communication channels provided by the marketplace and never give out sensitive information like your address until you're sure of the transaction.
4.听 Don't just rely on product reviews
- If you are buying from an online marketplace:听look up the product on the internet and see if you can find it (and the brand) mentioned elsewhere before buying. Do not rely on customer reviews from the website you are buying from, or on a social media post, as these reviews can sometimes be fake reviews.
5.听 Be wary of the price
- Be wary of deals where you 'can't believe' the price: be cautious of significantly under-priced items, as they may be counterfeit, stolen, or part of a scam.
6.听 Keep your receipts
- Keep receipts, confirmation emails, guarantee documents: and anything else in connection with your purchases so that you have everything else in connection with your purchases in case you need to make a complaint to the seller, return items, or follow up when they don't arrive in the post, arrive faulty, or become faulty within the guarantee period.
7.听 Avoid bank transfers
- Do NOT pay any seller direct by bank transfer: only go through recognised online platforms and try wherever possible to use PayPal or credit card methods to enable you to make easier claims on getting your money back should anything go wrong.
8.听 Who to contact
- Know who to contact if things go wrong: if you do encounter an issue with a product, make sure you know who to contact. Follow the platforms complaint procedure and if still dissatisfied then report to Trading Standards via the Consumer helplines.
9.听 Inspect the product
- Inspect the product as soon as it arrives: once your item arrives, inspect it carefully to ensure it matches the description and is in the expected condition. If there are issues, report them to the marketplace as soon as possible.
10.听 Be scam aware
- Stay informed about scams: regularly check the marketplace鈥檚 updates or consumer protection sites for information on common scams and how to avoid them. Being aware of potential risks can help you stay vigilant.
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High levels of unsafe good trying to enter the UK as Trading Standards find 90% of consumer products fail safety tests
51黑料 issued a stark warning to consumers ahead of the last shopping weekend this festive period to be on their guard against unsafe products that are entering the UK and could pose serious safety risks to shoppers.
As Christmas approaches, the demand for products dramatically increases and the UK ports and borders are intercepting goods from entering into the UK, many of which would have ended up for sale on online marketplaces and then in the hands of consumers.
This year alone since January, 349,000 consumer goods were checked by Suffolk Trading Standards Imports Team at the port of Felixstowe and were refused entry into the UK because they were unsafe or non-compliant.
Read the full story in the 51黑料 Newsroom
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