Breaking News
Refund rules
Friday 4 July, 2008 8:00am
IT'S that time of year again, when flashy signs screaming '50 per cent off', or more, are often simply too tempting to ignore.
But, before you hand over your hard-earned money for that 'sale of a lifetime', be warned.
The Office of Fair Trading received nearly 3000 complaints over 12 months about retail refund policies.
"Unless stated otherwise, retailers are not obliged to give refunds just because the buyer, or person who received a gift, didn't like it," Fair Trading Minister Linda Burney said.
"However, traders have obligations too.
"They must display their refund policy and they are obliged to give a full refund on goods that are faulty, damaged before purchase, or goods that do not perform the task they were meant, or advertised, to do."
Ms Burney said if retailers advertised a particular item at a vastly reduced price, they must have sufficient stock to ensure it's "not sold out two minutes after the doors open".
"They must also ensure that if stock is advertised at 50 per cent off, it should indeed be 50 per cent off the normal retail price."
