The temptation of purchasing a new vehicle can be overwhelming: that sweet new car scent (sans the blue pine tree hanging from your rearview mirror), that soft click of a keyless entry system and that pristine, crumb-free interior. But before you sign off on a new ride, we want to offer up some “did-you-knows” with regard to purchasing a new vehicle.

Recently I was furniture shopping and found a perfect dining room suite. I thought to myself that even though it was expensive, if I purchased it on credit I wouldn't have to pay interest for a whole year. It sounded like a great deal but was there a catch? What did the interest start adding up and what was I responsible for?

“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.

According to news sources, over 82% of Canadians purchased something online last year.  The pros of shopping online include having the ability to easily browse interesting products and compare prices.  The cons include being extremely frustrated if something goes wrong.  Here are some tips on how to ensure sure your online shopping experiences are positive.

Now that Halloween is behind us, there is no denying it, we have entered into the holiday season.  This can be a challenging time for consumers as we tend to overspend.  November is also Financial Literacy Month. Many Canadians still struggle with debt and a recent national Ipsos Reid survey revealed that six in 10 Canadians say they need help with their financial management skills.  I have to admit that I always tend to overspend during the holiday season so I thought it might be helpful to share these tips and ideas on ways to help stay on budget and save a little money this year.

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.

As we are now full blown into the holiday shopping season, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about one of the most commonly asked questions about retail sales:  Are stores required to offer return, refund, or exchange policies?