Young people feel ripped off when internet shopping
A new campaign starts today that will help educate shoppers about what their consumer rights are.
The campaign is the result of a new study that was released by the Department of Business that showed that people over the age of 35 felt they were more likely to be misled or mischarged while shopping on the high street.
On the other, hand those between the age of 16 and 34 felt the internet was the one shopping location where they were more likely to be mislead.
The study also reported that 58% of all consumers surveyed reported they had asked for a refund or exchange after having a problem with their purchase over the last year at least one time and up to three times on line or in shops.
Kevin Brennan, the Consumer Minister, stated that there are plenty of protections already written into legislation to protect shoppers, but consumers need to be more aware of their rights.
He went on to say that consumers that are knowledgeable are more likely to find good deals and value for their money which is increasingly important with the state of the current economy.
The consumer rights campaign will run into 2010 and is run by the Department of Business with help from the Office of Fair Trading and Consumer Focus as well as the Trading Standards Institute.
The title of the campaign is ?Know Your Consumer Rights? and was developed around the central idea that consumers need to be aware of what rights they have when it comes to shopping.
In particular it will focus on three rights when it comes to goods: that goods are made of satisfactory quality, are suitable for the intended purpose, and fit the description that a store or website details.
Another key right that many people may not be aware of is the fact that if a good is faulty the retailer is responsible for selling it to you and not the manufacturer.
Additionally, if a merchant visits your home you have ten days to choose to cancel an order without a reason and are subject to a full refund.
