Knowing your shopping rights

Reporter: Laticia Gibson
Broadcast Date: December 12, 2007

Christopher Zinn from Choice said impulse buying can bring strife for unsuspecting consumers with illegal practices not uncommon.

"Security guards can only search you if you agree to be searched, they can only detain you if they see you commit a crime, if those things do not happen they have no more powers than the average citizen," he said.

"They certainly do not have the powers of a police officer.

"You need to know your rights all the time because you never quite know when it is going to be called upon for you to put your foot down."

The key is to forget store policies but know the law and your rights before purchasing.

We spend more than $300 billion a year on retail therapy.

So what are your rights when it comes to refunds, repairs, and exchanges?

Mr Zinn said a lay-by is actually a binding contract, so make sure you have things in writing like how often you make payments.

"[You should know] what those payments should be and if for any reason you do not want to go through the deal how much money you might actually sacrifice or lose as a result of it," he said.

"A sign 'no refunds' is actually not worth the paper it is written on, if what you've bought isn't what you've promised in terms of quality or any defects in it then you can get a refund."

Christopher said extended warranties are not always worth it because you pay extra for them.

"There's a warranty that is normally 12 months after you purchase a product but there is also what we call an implied warranty that you get under law," he said.

"So for example if a TV malfunctions four months after the one-year warranty that the store gives you, you still have an implied warranty that means that they should fix it."

If you feel your rights have been ignored and you are not getting resolve with the retailer, you can take your complaint to the Department of Fair Trading.