Have you ever been signed up for a credit card without fully realizing what was going on? It can happen. People can be lured with promises of reward points or free gifts, and then end up agreeing to sign up for a credit card without being fully aware of what they are signing. Here is some information from the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) about your rights and responsibilities regarding credit cards and consent.

Two of my favourite colleagues retired recently. Please join me in taking a moment to remember their outstanding service.

In 2012, after more than 100 years of 35mm film, the movie industry converted to digital. BC theatres quickly installed digital projectors, and distributors stopped submitting 35mm films to us for classification. This meant the end of the road for our two 35mm projectors.

As soon as summer hits, Consumer Protection BC tends to receive an increased number of calls from consumers who have been approached about buying a vacuum cleaner. These types of sales usually occur either on the phone or through a door-to-door salesperson. There are many legitimate companies who make a living this way, but there are a few things to consider if you are approached by someone selling a vacuum.

It was time to get his chimney fixed so Eddy hired a masonry company to do the repairs. After quite a delay in getting any work done, the masonry company tried to convince Eddy he had a mould problem in his house and they could help.

Eddy had a background in the trades and knew there was no mould problem. This was a red flag for him so he decided to cancel the contract and get his deposit back. Something just didn’t feel right. When the business owner stated all deposits were non-refundable, Eddy got nervous.

Jake landed a new job in Calgary and had three weeks to pack up his life in Winnipeg. He started looking for a moving company, “being a millennial, the first place I looked was online,” says Jake. He hired the company and arranged for his belongings to be delivered to Calgary.

The delivery date arrived and his belongings were nowhere to be seen. Something didn’t feel right.

Chelsea had paid for a lifetime membership with a yoga studio, unaware at the time that lifetime memberships aren’t allowed in BC.

In less than a year, the yoga studio sold to a new owner who had no provisions in place for honouring the existing lifetime memberships.

“No one was taking responsibility,” says Chelsea, “I thought I was out of luck.” She had paid for a service that no one was willing to provide and was disappointed that her method of relaxation had turned into such a headache. “It was very frustrating and no one was acting very yoga-ish about it,” says Chelsea, “I felt very taken advantage of.”

Mary lives in Kelowna with her son’s in-home caregiver, John*. John was approached by a door-to-door salesperson who was selling a new furnace with a 20-year lease.

John was not properly informed about the lease agreement and therefore did not fully understand his long-term payment plan, which was very expensive. This was when Mary stepped in to try to help John find a way out of the contract. “I was rattling around, trying to find a solution and I contacted Consumer Protection BC,” says Mary.

We often get questions from consumers about buying new and used vehicles and returning a new car. While we don’t have authority over these areas, we are always happy to offer a referral if there is an organization that is better equipped to help you. Read on for examples of some of these types of consumer questions and our answers. 

Have you ever been misled by an ad and wondered what can be done about it? We often receive questions from consumers about false or misleading advertising. As a provincial regulator, we are responsible for certain consumer transactions in BC but retail sales and advertising practices fall outside of our areas of authority. So, who can help? We have gathered some information from the Advertising Standards Canada website that talks about what qualifies as a misleading ad and how to lodge a complaint.

Coupons can be a great way to save you some money on products or services, but how do you know if one is legitimate or not? Apparently, it’s not as easy as it seems.

We’ve been hearing that coupon scams are starting to gain popularity in the United States and the UK and have resulted in losses of millions of dollars from both consumers and businesses alike, according to the Coupon Information Corporation (CIC). So, to keep British Columbian’s in-the-know we have some tips and tricks to stay savvy to these bogus coupons.