HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1988-01-05, Page 33
:i
eustorners are getting tire
g':the `Mucky winners" of junk
res used as sales gimmicks by
Mall order advertisers.
Free gifts, sweepstakes, lucky
wsand dozens of similar atten
=grabbers seem • e f ing
popularity with direct m :i sellers,
ndgmng from the number of •people
. -:—€emplaning-abouttht cticS ays
Roberta Allan of the Ontario Minis-
try of Consumer and Commercial
Relations (MCCR).
"Apparently many polople are fed
up with finding game shows in their
mail boxes," Allan says. "They
want the dignity of judging • mer-
chandise on its own. merit rather
than being enticed by overblown
promises into ordering catalogues or
buying products. A lot of people are
also insulted' by the quality of these
'exciting prizes'. Some promoters
may be running really fabulous con-
tests, but there's a lot of trash
among
among a bit of treasure.
One group of lucky winners in a
recent contest discovered the `fabu-
lousprize" in question was junk jew-
elry, hardly worth the mailing cost.
Few of these schemes are illegal,
but consumers complaining to the
ministry find them distasteful, par-
ticularly if ' they were enticed by
mystery prize tactics into buying
from the company involved.
Mail order -sales have been a
source of consumer complaints for
years, although the reasons for
problems and The companies behind
them change with the seasons.
"Over the years, we've heard
complaints that various shipments
of , mail order goods were un-
solicited, ..unreturnable, unwanted,
unusable, undelivered or over-
priced. '
"We still get letters about these
kinds of. problems,_ _along_ with the
lucky draw complaints. Certainly,
there are some highly reputable
mail order firms out there with long
list of loyal customers, but con-
sumers must still be on the watch for
the bad operators."
Ontario residents who simply
want to dam the flood of advertising
they receive by mail can contact the
Canadian Direct Mail Association at
(416) 494-8585; 201 Consumers Road,,
Suite 205, Willowdale, Ontario, M2J
4G8. The association can have your
names removed from many mailing
lists although it cannot reach every
advertiser. The process takes a few
months once the request is made.
Anyone c idering buying, :mer-
chandise thrd the, mail should
d follow a,;
tect tea
471E4
..v
questions ''o• •
the>L
paStir Will `it he of any use to you?
i sd:too pod to be true?
M.__
you comparison shopped; at lo-
cal stores? Can any friends, neigh
.' or relatives --out r J°tbe
sellers' reeputation?"
Even after deciding you really
want the item, be sure to take every
precaution possible. Avoid placing
orders with companies .located out-
side the province. Arguments over
refunds; import duties, currency ex-
change rates, and' breakage in
transit are fairly common, Allan
says. -
Some foreign . mail order firms
seem to swallow cheques, then van-
ish. If complications do arise in a
long-distance deal, there is little the
ministry can doto help, even if a
blatant p vada
rip off is involved. "
.Check sales literature carefully,
reading all the fine print. Are there
any clauses in the purchase contract
that commit you to buying, more
merchandise in the future? This is
particulary gammon in book, cos-
metic and record sales.
You are not responsible for un-
solicited goods. It merchandise ar-
rives unordered, you are free to keep
it, thyro* ft, away or return it to the
sender. Cutup any unsolicited credit
cards you don't want. ff you use such
a card, you become responsible for_.
payments.
Keep initial deposits on mail or-
ders'as small as possible. "In fact, if
you can get the company_ to deal
cash on delivery (COD), all the bet-
ter, even if you have to pay a bit.
extra for the privilege;" Allan says.
`"You should also -get refund or ex-
change policies_ irr Writing: before
sending any money."
Consumers who feel they have.
been unfairly .treated by an Ontario -
based. mail order firm should con-
tact a local Consumer Advisory
Branch of MCCR.
on
s point
aye yen :er even.
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