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Home My WebLink AboutThe 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. • LET YOURSELF GO DOWNHILL HANOVER HOLIDAYS DISCOVER ALL OF FLORIDA -15 days Feb. 12,19; 26, Mar. 4-& 11 Fully escorted motorcoach tour high- lighting on the West & Gulf Coast and Central Florida's entertainment .' Centre. FLORIDA AT LEISURE - 22 days Feb. 12 & Mar. 13 Join us as we travel through Florida at a leisurely pace, highlighting n Daytona =`ach, Ft. Lauderdale, Or- lando, Key West and St. Pete's. IND TERM FLORIDA - 10 days • Mar. 11 DAYTONA BEACH OR ORLANDO Express coach 'oto Florida, seven nights in your choice of Orlando or Daytona Beach. 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I A. 4 r ra 4 ms's .1a t lair.43;;%,;$:;• • • :i .hYKo-'� 4444 OPTIMISTw moi _°: c. r .t :.,.v..:...-.>:..::.xRvr:F rii'.:. ..,. i''l:: .:di�' ✓.1.3'�yin•nt':':•ti:'� XUF"Sy.,•:ti<;;Yi•?}}i'y ... ham 'Optimist Atoms were -edged 2 1 in a ti ht game 10, 9 . 9 , � . 11-1 conaolattQn honors: of the Region S vet' ick Tournament at Lockridge ga M�earroriaf.�rr�� They alb 'froth lei.: Front row, Stephen Anger, .Joan:},Johnston, Danny McPherson, Eric Deyell, , ralg_'Ba ton, Shaw!? Gedcke, ellen Mowbray. Back row, ; elt/t' .Cameron, Jason Evans, Travis Baler, Jason Kleist, Terry Anger,. Jererny Brown, Brett Sangster, Ryan Le14 old, Peter Shaw, Jeremy Creeden, Murray Eater: . . The Advance -Times It's a welcome thought. - The more you know about energy conservation, the more money you'll save on heating bilis. That's vvhy the GO v 6hirew of tatlid has put together the ENERGY SAVINGS KIT it has Valuable atIc ul tC +date [I'1fo ,nark' n - to help you guild energy efficiency into all your home renovations, and increase ,Energy Savings Kit, Home Energy Programs 580 Booth Street, Ottawa, Ontario KIA 0E4 Please send me your free copy of the Energy Savings Kit. rye; Address• Cry: I• Postal Code: Lnrw Wm ilia' isms IOW roes Mime law *lrd:..r. • the resale value of your home. . So if you're -planning to spend motley on your home •this year, why not plan on saving some? Get the ENERGY SAVINGS KIT. For your free copy, mail this coupon to: Province: 1 Telephone: NNW cares easel caws 'lift NNW same, ems Bauer. J Energy, forand ReaciurCits Canada Hon. MaroeiMasse, Mitilat lr cnergte, mules el Resentlrces Canada L:'Hbnr Marcel Masse, Ministre ' O