Time for customers to wake up

THE EDITOR: Am I entitled as a customer to be treated with respect by store employees/managers? I am tired of fighting for my right to exchange a purchase or get a refund. This customer is tired of keeping her mouth shut and accepting whatever store employees/managers choose to tell her. I feel it is time for consumers to fight back. This is the straw that broke the customer’s back. There is a clothing franchise in a very popular mall. It is managed/owned by a European with two lovely young women employed as sales staff. I was about to purchase what was to me a pair of expensive trousers when the manager informed me (without my asking I might add), that I had better think carefully before purchasing the said trousers because once bought, there would be no return, no credit or no refund. I then very nicely told her that I believed that to be against the law. She very condescendingly informed me that this might be American/Trinidad law, but in Europe this was the policy.

Before this, again condescendingly, she had asked me to please take off the shirt I was wearing if I was not buying it because she had a problem with customers perspiring in the shirts. This, of course, was offensive to me and to all customers. (Not that this should matter, but it can be noted that I was on the way to an appointment and was indeed very appropriately dressed for a shopping expedition). People let us wake up. Whether it is an expensive store in a mall or a store selling less expensive things, we all as consumers deserve to be treated with respect. Just last Sunday, a popular female freelance writer detailed her story of trying to return a khaki school shorts to a store and then having to thereafter involve the police and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to take action to get back her money.

Incidentally, I called the Ministry to clarify the law for me. Apparently, both the freelance writer and myself were wrong and stores are apparently only obliged to refund money under two circumstances:
(1) If the goods were damaged when purchased, and not damaged after leaving the store.
(2) If the packaging states one thing and goods inside the said packaging were different from those stated. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has me thoroughly confused. They are urging us to speak up for our rights but what really are our rights? Should we be looking at laws to further protect consumers? However, one thing the Ministry did say was that it is illegal to post a sign in your store stating “All Sales Final.” The said franchise shore had this sign pasted in the glass by the cash register. In the midst of all that is sad and difficult in these times in our country, I must admit that I dislike writing about this, but I as a consumer was insulted one too many times. Maybe this is just one more symptom of the breakdown of our society.

JACQUELINE SCOTT O’BRIEN
Port-of-Spain