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.
Mind that balloon
Balloon payments are appealing in that you get the car for a smaller “affordable” monthly payment, BUT a big lump sum awaits you after six or seven years. On a R350 000 car over five years, a 20% balloon knocks around R870 off your instalment. But here's the catch. You…
That “local” shop is shipping from China
Spotted a slick online shop with a South African-sounding name and great prices? Look twice. A lot of them aren’t local at all. They are fronts for sellers shipping from China. And those appealing pics are all AI. So, your “three-day delivery” becomes three weeks, the quality often disappoints, and…
Insurers win 90% of car and home insurance complaints lodged with the National Financial Ombud
Why? Not because the Ombud is in bed with the insurers as many assume. Because many consumers didn’t fully grasp what they were and weren’t covered for, or hadn’t met their side of the policy in terms of the security or maintenance conditions. So don’t wait for a claim to…
Pay the invoice without checking, lose the money
An awful form of bank fraud is on the rise – it’s called Business Email Compromise. Here how it works - a fraudster hacks into an email exchange, waits for an invoice, then swaps in their own banking details before it reaches you. You pay, in good faith, and your…
That’s not me, that’s a clone
Here is a fast-growing scam - fraudsters copy your social media account, your name, your photo, even your videos, and set up a near-identical fake. Then they slide into your followers’ comments and messages, posing as you, to sell them something dodgy or fish for their money. It happened to…
Sold a dud car on finance? Chase the bank
If you buy a used car on finance and it turns out to be a lemon, don’t spend all your energy on the dealer. The bank that financed it is on the hook too. Our Supreme Court of Appeal confirmed it recently: when a bank finances a defective car, it…
“Show Me the Podium": the phrase that could save you thousands on car finance
When you apply for vehicle finance through a dealership, the finance manager submits your application to multiple banks - and gets back a "podium" showing every offer, with different rates and terms. They're not obliged to show you all of them, and have every incentive to push the one earning…
Know when your cellphone contract ends — or face a bill up to three times more
When your cellphone contract expires and you haven't given 30 days' notice to cancel or signed a new deal, your network can move you onto a month-to-month rate — at a dramatically higher price. Nadene's MTN contract was R189 a month. When it expired at the end of May, she…
That grocery app search result isn't showing you the best deal — it's showing you who paid the most
When you search for a product category on a grocery app like Checkers Sixty60, the results aren't random — they're influenced by which brands have paid for keyword placement. Search "tea" and Five Roses appears first; the far cheaper Checkers own-brand equivalent – Forage & Feast - doesn't show up…
Wait 72 hours before committing to anything you didn't plan to buy
Retailers - online and in-store - are experts at manufacturing urgency such as flash sales, "only 2 left," countdown timers. The antidote is simple: wait three days before purchasing any unplanned, non-essential item. Write it down if you need to, then revisit after 72 hours. Research consistently shows the urge…
Do a subscription audit — you're probably paying for things you've forgotten
Streaming services, fitness apps, cloud storage, that online magazine you signed up for during lockdown - subscriptions are designed to be easy to start and easy to forget. Go through your bank or credit card statement and highlight every recurring debit. Cancel anything you haven't used in the past month…
Your appliances will last years longer with one monthly habit
Most appliance breakdowns are preventable. Run white vinegar through your dishwasher on a hot cycle once a month - it clears limescale and grease and can add years to the machine's life. Also, pull your fridge away from the wall twice a year and vacuum the coils at the back:…
Wearing a luxury watch at the airport? Put it in your bag before you reach security
Organised syndicates are targeting travellers with expensive watches at South African airports - and security checkpoints are a favourite hunting ground. The tactic: spot the watch, wait for it to land in a screening tray, then distract the owner with a bag search or a request to turn around. In…
Reach to the back — the freshest products are hiding there
Supermarket shelf-stackers always load new stock behind old, nudging you to grab what's in front - the stuff closest to its sell-by date. Make a habit of reaching to the back of the shelf for dairy, bread, meat, and any perishable with a short shelf life. You'll routinely get products…
Bought a used car? Take it on a long trip within six months
The Consumer Protection Act gives you six months from taking delivery of a used car to return it to the dealer at their cost if it has a major defect. But you need to discover that defect first. A long road trip is the best stress-test — it exposes problems…
How well do you know your rights as an online shopper?
Here’s Janet’s question to me: “I bought a pair of trainers on an online sale about 5 days ago. On delivery day I tried on and them to be too tight across my foot. I have been told I can’t return them because they were a sale item. I'm very…
Aquafresh changed Its formula — and hoped you wouldn't notice
When companies want you to know they've improved a product, they shout it on the front of the pack. When they'd rather you didn't notice, they quietly adjust the ingredients list. Haleon chose the stealthy route with Aquafresh, reformulating it from October last year with no front-of-pack disclosure whatsoever. The…
Read the fine print on bank fuel rewards — they're not automatic
Not all bank rewards programmes deliver what their advertising implies. Banking customers have to read the fine print if they want to get higher rewards on fuel spend. Many programmes require you to opt in, meet minimum spend thresholds, or pay with a specific card at specific fuel stations. Simply…
Bought something online and the retailer has vanished? Here's what to do
An online retailer called Online Car Parts allegedly ignored the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, moved premises, and left consumers with incorrect parts or no refunds. This case is a textbook warning about buying from unfamiliar online retailers. Before purchasing from any online store you don't recognise, Google the business…
Airline damaged your bag? Invoke the Consumer Protection Act
Don't let airlines and their baggage handling partners fob you off with a pittance when their baggage handling partners damage your luggage. South African airlines often limit compensation using outdated international conventions, ignoring the Consumer Protection Act's protections. But the CPA entitles you to fair compensation for damaged goods -…