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IT was a neat trick. The large grocery store was offering its customers ‘scratch and win’ cards. The only condition was that the customer had to buy three products that carried the shop’s logo. Needless to say that the logo was on slow-moving and unsold stock. Even customers who would have otherwise ignored the offer, were told at the time of billing that if only they chose three products with the logo, they would be entitled to ‘free gifts’. The shop never revealed what these were, and in any case most customers did not ask. If only they had, they would not have been tempted to buy three additional items, because all those who scratched the card, got only a tiny pouch of instant coffee. The best prize was a pack of ice tea. This is just one of the many gimmicks used by shopkeepers these days to get customers to buy more than what they want or choose brands that they may not otherwise buy. And in the coming days, particularly just before Divali, such schemes (or scheming) will go up manifold. Besides free gifts and lucky draws, there would be festival discounts, bargain prices, buy-one-get-one free schemes, new-for-old exchange offers and hire-purchase schemes. And before purchase, consumers need to dwell into the genuineness of all such offers. My suggestion is: Look at every scheme with suspicion, ask questions, make enquiries and buy only when you are satisfied that you are getting a good deal in terms of quality, price and after sales service. Remember, not every discount is genuine, not every free gift is really free. So do not let the free gift or the discount mar your judgement of the product or tempt you to buy something that you do not want. Similarly, an instalment scheme might have hidden costs that could well work to your disadvantage. Many of the advertisements for consumer electronics, for example, offer goods on instalment basis at "0 per cent interest". If you rush to a dealer imagining it to be within your budget, you are quite likely to be disappointed because often 0 per cent interest is given only on a limited amount and on very limited number of instalments. And even here, there could well be additional charges for loan processing, installation, after sales service. So check the price, quality, warranty, after sales service, date of delivery and all other relevant facts about the product and compare these with others. Check on the reputation of the dealer too before buying and whatever you buy, make sure that you collect the receipt with all relevant details about the product and also the warranty card with the dealer’s name, signature and date of purchase duly stamped. In case the manufacturer or the retailer is offering an expensive product ‘free’, along with the one that you are buying, check on the price of the product prior to the offer. Has the price been hiked to adjust the cost of the ‘free gift’? Make sure that the offer is genuine and do not agree to the ‘free gift’ being delivered later. It may not arrive at all. Also, as far as possible, avoid deals that require you to pay first and take delivery later, even if that payment is only a part of the cost of the product. If you are opting for an instalment scheme, you need to be even more careful. Read the agreement carefully before signing and keep a copy. Remember, you have the right to choose, the right to information and the right to quality goods at reasonable prices, besides the right to redress of grievances. Equally important, both the Consumer Protection Act and the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act provide you protection against all unfair trade practices. The unfair trade practice is defined as "a trade practice, which, for the purpose of promoting the sale, use or supply of any goods or for the provisions of any service, adopts any unfair method or unfair or deceptive practice". |
