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Dear Consumer Protection BC…
Written by Melaina
Here at Consumer Protection BC, we receive hundreds of consumer inquiries each week. They come to us through our Call Centre, through our Facebook and Twitter accounts as well as through here, on our blog. For today’s post, we thought it might be fun to post a few consumer questions (and our answers!) about the hot topic of gift cards. We’ve gotten more than 20 comments on ONE of our posts on this topic alone!
Read more...Check Your Credit
Written by Michelle
When was the last time you checked your credit report? Businesses which approve credit for products such as credit cards, automobile financing, or home mortgages use credit reports as a tool to assess your credit “worthiness”.
Read more...Enter our Contest(s)!
Written by Michelle
Are you interested in winning some amazing prizes? Consumer Protection BC has embraced Facebook’s new timeline layout by launching a “Back Thru the Timeline” contest on our Facebook page. Read on to find out more and for a chance to win some great prizes!
Read more...The Office of the Ombudsperson
Written by Michelle
Recently we received an inquiry which we referred to the BC Ombudsperson. We thought providing some information about this organization would be helpful to our blog readers.
Read more...What’s Your Refund Policy?
Written by Michelle
“What’s your return and refund policy” is a question you should always ask before paying for your purchase at a store. Retail sales aren’t bound by law to provide mandatory returns or refunds. There are dozens of different return policies that can exist at stores and in order to be a savvy consumer, asking that one question can save you a lot of frustration if you decide that outfit you splurged on last week really isn’t as amazing as you thought.
Read more...Gift Cards – Check Out These Tips!
Written by Michelle
Whether its for $5 or $500, gift cards make great little stocking stuffers and are the perfect gift for those hard to buy folks. In British Columbia, since 2008, gift cards for a monetary value are not allowed to have an expiry date. There are exceptions for when a gift card can have an expiry date however, such as for a specific good like a hair cut or for a mall card, where the card is good at more than one store. If you are planning on giving a gift card this year, keep reading to see more information and tips we have about gift cards!
Read more...Can I Return a New Car?
Written by Michelle
Our Inquiry team often receives calls from consumers who have just purchased a car from a BC dealership. The most common question we are asked is whether or not they can return the car if they are not satisfied. Often consumers think there is a grace period where they can return the car but this is not the case. Once you purchase the car, most often you can’t return it.
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We consistently get questions from consumers around BC's gift card law and group buying deals such as Groupon.
Read more...Credit Reports
Written by Guest Blogger
Do you know that most adult Canadians have a credit report? In fact, most of us have 2 – one with each of the 2 major credit reporting agencies in Canada. The information in your credit report can be very important to you in terms of determining whether or not you can get credit and what the cost of that credit would be. It could also be used to determine if you get a job or an apartment.
Read more...Visit Us at the Senior's Expo!
Written by Michelle
As we all know, March is Fraud Prevention Month. Last year we attended the Better Business Bureau’s Smart Shopper event at Metrotown Mall in Burnaby BC. We met lots of savvy consumers and got to answer consumer questions as part of an expert panel. You can see clips of the entire expert panel on YouTube here.
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