Caveat Emptor-Let the Buyer Beware-is the watchword of the marketplace. My parents’ generation relied on word of mouth and trusted in small local businesses to provide good quality products and stand behind them. In today’s world, many people make their decisions based on advertising and packaging and don’t take the time to research their purchases. Here are some things I think are essential for consumers to consider.
Research BEFORE you buy. Read, read, read! Start with the product you want to purchase. Let’s say a vacuum cleaner. Before you consider any brands-what features are important to you? Do you live on one floor or will the vacuum need to go up and down stairs? Do you live with one clean adult or 3 teenage boys who track in mud for a living?
Do you have a couple of large rugs or wall to wall carpet? Make a list of features. Also realistically what is affordable? Now you are ready to compare brands. At this point I usually rely on the magazine Consumer Reports.(available to read at almost any public library). What is the satisfaction rating for the brands that have the features you want? What is the frequency of the product needing repair? What warranty does the company offer and how easy or hard it is to access warranty services? CR’s ratings are based on member surveys and on their own testing. Next, you can check out the online product rating sites-but remember these are all individual experiences. Now you’re ready to make your purchase.
Read everything that comes with the product Instructions and manuals are there for a reason! Assembling a product incorrectly because you haven’t read the directions or attempting to fix certain problems on your own may void a warranty. Be sure to mail in (or for many these days-register online)the warranty card.
Now that you read all that stuff-Save it! Clip the sales receipt and all warranty and instruction books together and keep them in a file. Now you will be able to refer to the book for troubleshooting if needed. Company contact information is available. You also have proof of date of purchase. This small bit of organization will save you lots of grief over time.
Learn to complain effectively. Ok-you did everything right but that vacuum turns out to be constantly broken and you’re getting very frustrated. It happens to everyone! There are two parts to effectively complaining about a product-First find out where to send the letter-it is best to direct it to a person not just a department. In the US the Federal Consumer Information Center publishes a book each year with the addresses and consumer contacts for many companies. This is also available online (https://pueblo.gsa.gov/). Now that you know who to write to--learn to write a good letter of complaint. Letters that are polite, well written and factual go much further. Start with the product name, model #. and date of purchase. State the problem clearly. Specifically mention that you have done any recommended troubleshooting techniques and/or maintainence. Then state exactly what action you want them to take. (repair, refund your money etc.). End cordially. I always like to thank them in advance for their help. Keep a copy of this letter.
What? You say they didn’t answer? Send a second brief letter attaching the first and requesting an answer within a specific time period and letting them know you will take action if you don’t have a satisfactory answer. Which brings me to:
Know where the ’’big guns’’ are and how to use them. The the book and website mentioned above also have information about government consumer protection agencies, trade associations and other places to go when your complaints are unanswered. These can be very effective. When you contact them have copies of all your correspondence and a log of any phone contacts with the company.
Children have to be taught to be good consumers Involve children in decision making processes when practical. Allow them to make bad spending choices with their own money. (they won’t learn from spending yours!)