Consumer Hacks with Wendy Knowler
Know your rights as a consumer. ECR’s Consumer Watchdog, Wendy Knowler, is giving us daily consumer tips to help empower you as a consumer. Here are the latest Consumer Hacks with Wendy Knowler.
Educate your teens about signing contracts before they get caught
Educate your teens about signing contracts before they get caught
Disable SMS-es appearing on the screen of your locked phone
Disable SMS-es appearing on the screen of your locked phone
Small businesses listen up
Small businesses listen up: if somebody calls you wanting to sell you discounted cleaning materials, just say no!
Online shopping: check out the returns policy before committing
Kim wrote: “I am about to place an online order with Duck Apparel. A promotional discount has been automatically applied to my purchase. And the Ts and Cs state that items bought on sale or part of a promotion cannot be refunded. So if the item doesn’t fit me, I…
Hey Big (Fast Food) Spender!
Food delivery apps such as Mr D and UberEats make fast food convenient, but Standard Bank warns that South Africans are overspending on takeaways, averaging R775 monthly, that’s excluding groceries.
Setting the record straight on cooling-off periods
Wendy Knowler sets the record straight on cooling-off periods
How to deflate that balloon payment
If you financed your car with one final, very large balloon payment due after, say, six years of “normal repayments” - as a means of reducing your monthly repayment amount, there is a way to make that balloon smaller as you go along.
You don’t have to buy cars “blind”
If you buy a car from a dealership, big or small, you have the benefit of the Consumer Protection Act’s warranty if it malfunctions in some way within six months of purchase.
Looking for a service provider to come to your home? Google is not your friend
Looking for a service provider to come to your home? Google is not your friend
Steer clear of cellphone roaming bill shocks
Steer clear of cellphone roaming bill shocks
Your new cellphone number could well have had a dodgy past
Your new cellphone number could well have had a dodgy past.
Investment schemes - so much fakery to navigate
Deepfake videos and fake WhatsApp groups are increasingly targeting consumers, with scammers impersonating figures such as retired businessman Laurie Dippenaar, Elon Musk, and Patrice Motsepe to lure investors.
Do you have to take that after-market warranty when buying a car?
Don’t be fooled by a car salesman into thinking that you have to pay for a so-called after-market warranty when buying a car that no longer has the manufacturer’s warranty.
Cellphone contracts
No, there’s nothing stopping cellphone networks from increasing subscription fees on existing contracts.
Beware the balloon payment trap in car financing
Balloon payments may seem appealing when financing a car, but the choice often backfires on the car buyer years later.
Steer clear of travel scams with these 10 questions
Steer clear of travel scams with these 10 questions
Beware debt counselling call centre scams
Debt counselling scams are rampant in South Africa. Call centres, often linked to registered debt counsellors, cold-call consumers, falsely promising reduced interest rates or debt write-offs.
Only pre-paid vouchers must legally be valid for at least three years
Only pre-paid vouchers must legally be valid for at least three years
Dodge visa drama: double-check your travel agent’s advice
Dodge visa drama: double-check your travel agent’s advice
How to protect yourself against rogue tenants
Landlords, don’t let your tenant’s failure to pay your rent derail your finances; insure yourself against the potentially high cost of loss of rental and tenant eviction.