Holiday Season Shopping Tips

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, buyers need to be extra cautious – whether they’re buying in stores or on the internet. Here are some helpful hints from the City’s Consumer Protection Unit.

Beware of gift cards
Gift cards have become popular. But beware! Recently some of the national chain stores have gone out of business. If a business goes bankrupt, their gift cards are virtually worthless. Also, many cards have hidden fees and penalties. Remember that gift cards are a great bonus to all businesses since they get the money up front and it may be months (or longer) before the card is redeemed. (A recent study estimates that Americans are now holding $8 billion in unused gift cards!)

Make sure you’re paying the posted price
A store can’t charge you more for a product than the lowest price that’s posted or advertised. This includes catalogs, sale items, and supermarket “club” specials. Accidental overcharges are more common than you’d think! Always check to make sure you were charged the right price.

Pay with credit cards online – when practical
There are advantages to using a credit card to buy online. It’s much easier to dispute a charge if there are problems with your purchase. Credit cards often provide other warranty, return, and purchase protection benefits.

Note: growing credit card debt is a national crisis. Be sure you can pay off your balance in a reasonable time – and know your interest rate before buying on credit!

Prompt delivery is required
For online and telephone purchases, sellers must ship the goods by the date promised – or if no date was given, within 30 days of payment. If they don’t, they must offer you a refund. (There are some exceptions to this rule.)

Refunds and exchanges
Stores must give refunds or exchanges on all items that are returned within 7 days with a receipt. The only exception is if they have clear signs stating a no-refund or no-exchange policy in one of these places: at the cash register, sales counter, public entrance, tags attached to the item, or on their order forms.

For more information – or to complain about a business – contact the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit at 310-458-8336. Or visit us at smconsumer.org.