School starts next week and that means back to school shopping for many of us! Start the learning early this year by teaching your kids the importance of being a smart consumer! Here are tips we would like to share about retail sales and cell phones that we often receive questions about.

We’ve all had this happen.  We finally get dinner on the table and the whole family rounded up.  We sit down to eat and the phone rings.  We rush to answer it to find it’s a recorded sales pitch.  These unsolicited calls can be frustrating to receive but for many businesses and charities, telemarketing is an effective way to conduct business.

I remember receiving my first credit card and thinking about how I could go out and buy anything I wanted and not pay until I got the bill.  The bill did come, along with a payment due date and an interest rate attached to any unpaid balance.  I realized if I didn’t pay my bill on time, suddenly that $25 bargain would end up costing me a lot more.

Everyone has complaints.  Whether it be with the quality of service you received or dissatisfaction about a business’ policy, there ways to express your concerns to maximize success. If you have an issue with a particular business, here are some tips on how to make an effective complaint.

Only a month and a half left of the school year and then it’s time for summer break!  For many teens across BC, this will be their last year of high school.  A big part of celebrating the completion of years of hard work is the graduation ceremony where everyone gets all dressed up.  Do you know a teenager that is graduating this year?  Have them read this blog to prevent any snags on their big day.

I had some time off last week and did a short road trip with some friends from Victoria down to Portland Oregon.  I admit that the purpose of our mini-trip was to do some shopping and spend some time together, but we managed to fit in some tourist activity as well.  One of our stops was at a tulip farm.  I was amazed at how gorgeous the colourful fields of tulips were!  My mom loves tulips and I was reminded that Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday.

What’s the weather like where you live?  Here in beautiful Victoria BC we are finally starting to get bright blue skies during the day, and later sunsets in the evening.  While walking my dog around my neighbourhood I am seeing more and more for sale signs on front lawns– another “sign” that spring is here.  Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases you will ever make.  When buying a house, it’s a good idea to have it inspected by a licensed home inspector before making an offer.

Our Vice President of Corporate Relations was on the news last night on Global TV and CHEK.  She was talking about how we can help consumers who are experiencing disputes with a business.  Following up on that, we wanted to share the following general tips to consumers who are entering into contracts for services: