Shop smart and stay safe

Know your consumer rights and stay safe

Shop smart group imageProduct safety might not be your top priority when you’re shopping, but it’s important to know what to look out for, and what to do if something goes wrong.

We’ve pulled together this quick and easy guide full of safety tips to help you shop smart and keep everyone safe.

Things to consider when buying and using products

Whether you’re buying a product   

  • brand new, or second-hand,
  • online, or in a shop,
  • from a business, or a private seller,

it’s important to shop smart and stay safe.

Read more: Shop smart and stay safe

Shop Aware - Know Your Rights

To help shoppers get clued up on their rights, Citizens Advice Wiltshire is sharing its top tips to shop confidently.
 
A woman with a laptop shopping online while her dog is sat behind her on a sofa - the image features the words Helping you stay ShopAwareAs part of our annual awareness campaign we’re encouraging consumers to know their rights when shopping, including what to do if you run into issues after purchasing, have complaints around defective goods or substandard services, and when sellers fail to deliver.
 
With budgets already stretched, none of us want to waste precious time or money on retail issues that could easily be avoided. 
 
That’s why we’re dedicated to giving you, the consumers, the knowledge you need to stay savvy when shopping on the highstreet or online. 
 
Everyone can be a consumer champion when they have the right information!  
With the key shopping times of Christmas and the January sales, we’re sharing our top tips and advice on what to do if things go wrong, or if something you ordered didn’t arrive, as well as how to return faulty goods and how to shop safely and stay aware of scams. 

Read more: Shop Aware - Know Your Rights

Know your rights when shopping from an online marketplace

Shop wisely this sale season and avoid getting less than you bargained for with top tips from Citizens Advice Wiltshire

Stop before you shop - image of young, mixed race woman using her laptop to shop online

It may be the season to bag a bargain but sometimes we get less than we bargained for, and lots of people are coming to us about fake or faulty goods that they’ve been sold online. 

We don’t want that to happen to you, so stop before you shop.

To help you bargain-hunters shop safely online, we’ve shared our top tips on how to shop wisely    

Read more: Know your rights when shopping from an online marketplace

Advice on consumer issues

Citizens Advice also has a consumer helpline.

Our consumer service provides advice on issues around buying goods or services. This includes being treated unfairly by a trader, receiving a poor service or you may want to switch energy suppliers or cancel a contract.

How to contact the consumer service External link

More resources

We can also point you in the right direction to further information and resources.
Get links to other useful websites and online resources

Advice column
Our advice column features questions people ask us about the problems they face; along with our advice and practical information about what you can do to resolve them.
Read our advice column
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If your enquiry is urgent, it’s usually better to call us on 0808 278 7995 (Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm. Closed on public holidays).
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