IOLRetailZone - Wendy Knowler

Ignore Ts and Cs at your peril!

2012-10-16T09:40:09+00:00

Vanity and greed – two human conditions that see many a consumer part ways with their money.

Tell people that they’ve ...

The smaller rolls are not the better buy

2012-10-16T09:34:31+00:00

In April, Consumer Watch reported that while for years toilet paper manufacturers have been required by law to ensure that ...

A refund on those returnable bottles?

2012-10-08T08:26:34+00:00

Reader Craig Matthew posed an interesting question to Consumer Watch recently.

Are bottle stores obliged to refund consumers on the 90c ...

Know your rights with rogue debt collectors

2012-10-08T07:54:08+00:00

It seems to me that a lot of people are being hounded to pay debts they don’t owe, for all ...

Medicines Control Council fails to protect

2012-10-08T06:17:08+00:00

Two recent reports have thrown “herbal” or supposedly natural products into the spotlight – the “100 ...

Keep those retail offers honest!

2012-10-01T09:12:36+00:00

So how do you keep those gimmicks from creeping into the sales talk? And how do you get what you've ...

Expired data bundles? CPA does not help

2012-09-28T11:50:05+00:00

It’s been almost 18 months since the Consumer Protection Act came into effect, and certain key ...

Those grocery bags cost you!

2012-09-28T09:05:55+00:00

Well, what do you know: the supermarket group catering for this country’s poorest has been charging ...

Use your credit card's chargeback feature

2012-09-18T10:28:52+00:00

Remember, if you pay for any goods or services with your credit card, if you do ...

Slimmer's choice mislabelled, not so lite

2012-09-18T10:06:06+00:00

I’m indebted to yet another sharp-eyed reader for this story. She wants to be identified only ...

Check those use-by dates

2012-09-18T10:03:29+00:00

There’s lots to report from the supermarket shelves this week, starting with the alarming story of ...

Document your retail deals to ensure you get what was promised

2012-09-17T07:40:57+00:00

Here’s a consumer tip that will save you a lot of money, and hassle: get into ...

Buying bulk doesn't always mean savings

2012-09-11T07:22:01+00:00

Most consumers assume that it pays to buy in bulk; that the bigger pack of margarine, ...

Cell phone contract not what you signed up for?

2012-09-11T07:10:12+00:00

I could fill this column every week with cellphone-related complaints alone.

That’s not ...

Keep from forfeiting your flights!

2012-09-03T12:48:09+00:00

If you buy a return air ticket and for some reason don’t take the first flight, ...

Bad service and a stolen store card

2012-08-27T12:31:18+00:00

Carrie Hook of Durban took up the case of her boyfriend, Dwayne Grant, who had run ...

Refund on defective boots

2012-08-27T12:16:35+00:00

There are exceptions, of course, but by and large, shoe retailers appear to be particularly resistant ...

Property damages from a company vehicle

2012-08-27T12:04:49+00:00

Accountant Joan Masemeng e-mailed me a month ago about a Sasko Bakery staff bus which had ...

Eish, another rip off!

2012-08-20T10:18:21+00:00

Some swear by it, but there’s no scientific proof that the Rayma “electrically charged” metal bracelet alleviates migraines, arthritis, neuralgia, ...

Is your grocery bill super high?

2012-08-20T10:08:13+00:00

Food prices are rocketing alarmingly, with more supermarket till slip shocks to come. Could it be that your till total ...

Give praise where it's due

2012-08-16T08:39:00+00:00

Since we’re all bursting with national pride, I thought I’d echo the mood by sharing some tales of heartwarming customer ...

Keeping those receipts pays off

2012-08-14T06:55:57+00:00

I have to confess to not being a particularly organised person. Admin is not my thing. But neither is not ...

A refund because of baboons?

2012-08-13T13:37:56+00:00

If you rented a beach cottage for the weekend but pouring rain and howling wind mean you call it quits ...

So who profits from those plastic bags?

2012-08-07T07:07:00+00:00

One of the topics that saw the English media briefly stray from its Olympics coverage was the call by environmental ...

Pay the price you see

2012-08-06T09:20:18+00:00

Retailers do all sorts of things to make their prices seem less than than they really are.

There’s that 99c thing, ...

Check the fuel charge on your rental

2012-08-02T06:52:27+00:00

Receiving complaints from unrelated consumers about the same issue, involving the same company, within days of each other, always grabs ...