Nov. 23, 2011 -- With the holiday shopping season here, the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection and the Citizens Consumer Advisory Council want to make your holiday shopping a little less stressful this year.
"No matter what the price of a gift purchase, it's important that people make informed purchases," said John Gaccione, acting director of Consumer Protection. "Consumers can make life easier on themselves by remembering these holiday shopping tips, whether shopping in a store or using the Internet."
The top 10 tips (not in order):
- Comparison shop for the best price; find out all you can about an item before you purchase it.
- Know the refund policy of the merchant you are buying from. In a retail store, the refund policy must be posted at the point of sale.
- If an advertised sale item is not available, ask for a rain check; you're entitled to it.
- When making purchases, keep your receipts together and organized. Quickly retrieve your credit cards after using them. If you pay by credit card, the credit card company can help you when you have a dispute with a merchant.
- Find out the warranty information about a product before you purchase it. They vary from product to product. Sometimes, warranties are offered by the merchant as well as the manufacturer and your credit card company.
- Buying a gift card? Most store gift cards don't have fees or expiration dates. Bank gift cards carry the logo of a major credit, debit or charge card, and are accepted at a wider variety of locations. Find out if a gift card carries any fees and whether a lost or stolen gift card can be replaced and at what cost.
- Online shopping offers may conveniences. Recent surveys have found that at least 50 percent of shoppers will buy gifts this year over the Internet. Shop with companies you know, or which have provided good service to people you know. Be wary of a company that doesn't list a phone number and address. Look for a written description of the company's refund and exchange policy.
- Guard against identity theft by not giving out personal information over the telephone or on the Internet unless you initiate the contact. Do not write your address, phone number, social security number of driver's license number on credit card receipts.
- When shopping online, make sure the Web site is secure before entering your personal or financial information. Secure Web sites begin with https:// rather than just http://.
- Contact the Department of Consumer Protection if you are experiencing a problem with a purchase by calling (914) 995-2155 or by filing a complaint online.
The Westchester County Consumer Advisory Council is made up of members of the public along with representatives of food and non-food retailers, organized labor and business watchdog groups. Current members are Daniel Franklin Jr. (chairperson), Joseph Bova, John Fix III, James Herbster, Kris Komorowski, Britta Vander Linden, Brian Rauer, Iasha Rivers and Thomas Urtz.