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Difference between revisions of "Making a Purchase"
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| text = "“I got an email saying I was entitled to a 30% ‘discount’ off any pair of shoes from the Shoes Aplenty website. I bought a pair of loafers. I later learned that I paid the ordinary price they charge everyone. The term ‘discount’ gave me the impression I was getting a bargain price. I wasn’t. That’s misleading advertising." <br>- Winston, Delta | | text = "“I got an email saying I was entitled to a 30% ‘discount’ off any pair of shoes from the Shoes Aplenty website. I bought a pair of loafers. I later learned that I paid the ordinary price they charge everyone. The term ‘discount’ gave me the impression I was getting a bargain price. I wasn’t. That’s misleading advertising." <br>- Winston, Delta | ||
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Under BC law, sellers are not allowed to mislead you to convince you to buy something. In their advertising and in their conversations with you, a seller cannot say anything that has the capability of deceiving or misleading you. | |||
For example, a seller must not advertise or tell you that: | |||
* what they are selling has uses or benefits that it does not have | |||
* what they are selling is of a particular standard or quality when it isn’t | |||
* they have an approval, status or connection that they don’t have | |||
* you are getting a special price or benefit when they are really offering the same thing that you can get somewhere else | |||
There are also federal laws that prohibit sellers from advertising or saying anything that is false or misleading. For example, a seller must not advertise or tell you that: | |||
* what they are selling is on "sale" or "special" unless the price is lower than the ordinary selling price (and they can’t artificially increase the ordinary price) | |||
* what they are selling performs at a certain level unless they can prove it (for example, saying they offer “the fastest network in Canada”) | |||
* what they are selling is endorsed by someone when that is not true (that is, they can’t make up a fake testimonial) | |||
No one actually needs to be deceived or misled for a court to find that a representation is misleading. If the general impression given by a representation is misleading, that is enough. | |||
Here are examples of misleading representations: | |||
* A lender advertising “CMHC Approved” when neither the lender nor their loan has that approval. | |||
* A retailer advertising “Your discount - 50% off all prices shown in this catalogue", when the discount price is in fact the ordinary selling price. | |||
* A roofing salesperson saying that your house needs a new roof when it doesn’t. | |||
Also against the law are “bait and switch” tactics. That is when a seller advertises something at a bargain price but doesn’t stock reasonable quantities. Once at the store, you discover that what was advertised (the “bait”), is sold out. The seller tries to “switch” you to buy some other (typically more expensive) item. They can’t do that. The seller has to stock reasonable quantities or offer you a rain check. | |||
Sellers who break these laws can be fined, jailed, or ordered to compensate consumers who suffer losses. | |||
==How do I start a complaint?== | ==How do I start a complaint?== | ||