The National Consumer Agency (NCA) has advised consumers to shop sensibly for Christmas to ensure the festive season remains as trouble-free as possible. Paul Cullen, Consumer Affairs Correspondent, reports.
With the pre-Christmas shopping season getting into gear, the agency yesterday launched an awareness campaign to remind shoppers of their consumer rights.
It has drawn up a list of "top tips for Christmas" for consumers to follow and plans to distribute receipt holders to encourage shoppers to hold on to receipts in case problems arise.
The Small Firms Association (SFA), meanwhile, has called on consumers to make a special effort to buy Irish goods in the coming weeks. "If everyone spent just €100 extra on Irish products, the result would be an extra spend of over €200 million on Irish-made products during Christmas," said SFA chairman Pat Crotty. "This would have a significant impact for small business and Irish jobs."
The consumer agency is advising shoppers to ask for a gift receipt to ensure the recipient can produce proof of purchase if returning items to the shop. Buyers are also advised to ask about gift voucher expiry dates and to ensure recipients are aware of any time limit for use.
"Also, we would urge consumers to be sensible in their use of credit cards and to remember that a credit limit is not a shopping challenge - consumers should do their best to spend within the limits of what they can afford to repay," said NCA chief executive Ann Fitzgerald.
More information is available on the NCA website, www.consumerconnect.ie