It’s that time of the year once again when towns/cities will be bustling with shoppers moving around to check the ‘specials’, discounts and promotions which will be on offer – all in the spirit to celebrate Christmas.

Do you make an effort to ask questions, inspect products, find out about warranty/guarantee and seek clarification before spending your hard earned cash?

As you are aware, your mobile phones, laptops and the electronic goods in your homes come with specified warranty terms, so does the second hand vehicles you purchase from a local showroom from anywhere in the country.

It is not every day that one invests in owning a vehicle. Thus, when one decides to secure one, he/she anticipates to get the best value for money.

Day in and day out, many buyers of the second hand vehicles suffer at false or misleading information furnished to them by used-vehicle traders. This leads them to buy a vehicle, which may look new and has done low mileage. 

Owning a vehicle is a dream for many consumers. But, not everyone can afford a brand new one and so many settle for second-hand vehicles, which are widely available here.

Imagine a world without conscious and assertive consumers who don’t complain when transactions go wrong. In such situations, if consumers don’t raise their voices on their dissatisfaction with the shoddy goods or services, the trader will continue giving the same bad service.

Are diamonds really forever? Words seem less to describe the love consumers have for diamonds. One simply cannot get enough of diamond stones to adorn themselves at any occasion- be it a festival, engagement, wedding or birthday bash. But how sure can you be that what you are wearing is a real diamond?

This is one time of the year when many consumers buy gold jewellery to mark the auspicious festival of lights, Diwali. There is also a rush to lay-buy fine gold jewellery to be gifted on special occasions such as child birth, birthdays, engagements or weddings…

Breathe new life into your old or damaged jewellery – a grand idea but imagine giving your genuine diamond ring to a jeweller for resizing but the diamond gets removed. What you take back home is a substitute stone instead of that pretty little diamond!

Fairness and honesty should be part and parcel of every business deals. This can be achieved if all parties engaged in the deal understand their responsibilities.

Use of measuring instruments is very important for effective functioning of any economy. It plays a vital role in protecting consumers from malpractice of underweight or under measured goods. All weighing equipment in use for trade must be suitable for its intended purpose and be accurate.Or else, consumers will not get value for their money.

You all may have used weighing scales in supermarkets or municipal markets but how many of us actually know how these measuring instruments work.

As price-conscious consumers, we aim to maximize the value of whatever products we’re buying. It is indeed hard to imagine that a bar soap or washing soda you use daily actually loses weight while lying on the shelves in supermarkets.

Did you know that items such as garlic, potatoes, onions, soap and other perishable goods can actually dry out and lose weight (shrink) while sitting in the supermarkets and grocery store shelves?