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Consumer Tips: Not Happy With Your Purchase? Here's How To Get Results

by News Canada    

(NC)-If you've just purchased a product that doesn't meet your expectations, here's how the Canadian Consumer Information Gateway suggests you proceed:

Give the merchant a chance to solve the problem. Go to customer service or talk to the manager. A face-to-face discussion is best. Be firm, but polite and business-like. Calmly and accurately describe the problem and what action you would like taken. Request specifics as to how and when something will be done, and get the person's name in case you have to refer to this conversation later. Keep a record of your efforts to resolve the problem.

If this doesn't work, visit the Canadian Consumer Information Gateway Web site at ConsumerInformation.ca and click on 'File a complaint'. This will hook you up to "the Complaint Courier" which takes you through a six step process that deals with:

Complaint assessment

Your rights and responsibilities

Contacting the business

Writing the business

Submitting a complaint form

Your legal options

This process also includes a 'letter writing wizard' to assist you in articulating your complaint to the business. Taking legal action should be the last resort. Be aware that you might have to act within a certain time period. Small Claims Court is an informal and relatively inexpensive method of resolving disputes.

The Canadian Consumer Information Gateway is a new Web site designed by Industry Canada. It's the place to go for objective, reliable, current Canadian consumer information launched by federal, provincial, territorial governments and their partners specifically to serve the interests of Canadian consumers .


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News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web. News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial "fill" items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services. http://www.newscanada.com/