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Page 10 - CHRISTMAS SHOPPING SPREE - Tuesday, November 20, 1990 v Nox Christmas Essay Competition 2 Star offers $100. award for best Christmas story If you like to write, the Port Perry Star would like to hear from you. The Star is pleased to announce that it will be sponsoring a Christmas Essay competition this year. We invite readers of all ages to dust off their pens (or word processors) and submit an essay of up to 1,000 words by a deadline of Monday, December 10, 1990. The essay can be serious or humourous and generally on the topic of "My Most Memorable Christmas Ever". Judging of the essays will take place immediately after the December 10 deadline, and the top essay, in the opinion of the judges, will earn the writer a $100. cash award. We will also award prizes to four "honourable mentions" and the five winning essays will be printed in the Star's annual Christmas Edition to be published on Tuesday, December 18, 1990. So if you have had a memorable Christmas, tell us about it in 1,000 words or less. Entries (preferably typed and double spaced) can be mailed to the Star at 235 Queen Street, Port Perry, Ontario LIL 1B9 or dropped off at the Star office, 235 Even John Deere toys are the best quality! Durable diecast metal scale models are replicas of big John Deere machines. Let your little ones play with the best -- John Deere toys. Nothing Runs ff" § Like a Deere fol UTICA FARM EQUIPMENT LIMITED 2 Miles West of Manchester 985-9701 \_ J Check store policies on refunds and exchanges Consumers resolving to start their Christmas shopping early this year should give a thought to stores' refund and exchange policies before they buy. '""Many people still believe shops are obliged to take back goods," says Marilyn Gurevsky of Ontario's Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations. 'But under provincial legislation they are not required to accept returns.' Consumer experts continue to advise that the best way to avoid a return problem is to shop carefully in the first place. "Impulse buying seldom yields the best deal for consumers, even when the price looks right, says. Gurevsky. "Comparison shopping is the most effective way of know- ing whether you're getting a fair deal." Shoppers continue to find the best value for their money by tak- ing the time to visit several stores to compare. Quality - Examine merchandise carefully. Many consumers ac- cept only brand names as an assurance of quality, but less well-known products are often as good. Suitability - That super- spectacular CD player may be the hottest thing on the market, but if the person you're buying it for has a collection of 2,000 tapes they won't appreciate the gift. Make sure the product fits the need. Price - Shopping around will help you recognize a reasonable price and avoid falling prey to ex- travagant sales claims. Service - If the item requires set-up or frequent adjustments, it may be best to deal with a sup- plier who offers an in-house repair shop or deals with local servicer. Check out the special conditions of factory-sponsored warranties. Once you find the product you want at the right price, check out the store's policy on refunds and exchanges. "If you're not sure of Aunt Mar- tha's sweater size," Gurevsky says, "the terrific buy in the dis- count store that doesn't take returns might not be such a bargain." Many stores provide informa- tion on their policies on clearly posted signs or notices, but when they're not in evidence ask that the policy be clearly written on your sales receipt. Whenever you shop you should know: -- if the store gives full or partial refunds, exchanges or credit notes; --- whether a sales slip, cancelled cheque, account bill or the original packaging are needed as proof of purchase; and, -- if there are some articles, such as special-clearance sale or personal-use items excluded from the policy. When buying gifts, says Gurev- sky, a couple of additional ques- tions become more important. '"'Early Christmas shoppers should be wary of time or condi- tion limitations on the return policy," she says. Many retailers will accept returns only on the current season's merchandise, allowing them to resell the goods at the same price as originally offered. As well, stores may stipulate that only unopened or clearly unused merchandise may be returned. "Many people assume that even though the item's slightly us- ed, any store that accepts returns will take it back. That is, in fact, rarely the case," says Gurevsky. She notes another common misconception--not all stores will accept returns of articles that haven't lived up to customer ex- pectations. The Business Prac- tices Act protects consumers against cases where the goods have been clearly misrepresented. However, the toy truck that breaks the first time it's played with may not be ac- cepted back by the store. "A fair refund and exchange policy is one mark of a store dedicated to quality customer ser- vice," says Gurevsky. 'Prices may be a little higher than at the discount house to support that policy. But the retailer is making a statement: customers who return time after time are worth giving the odd refund and are valued more highly than a quick profit." Brochures on refunds and ex- changes, the Business Practices Act, and many other consumer issues are available from the Con- sumer Information Centre at 555 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario M7A 2H6, Tel. (416) 326-8555 or at toll free 1-800-268-1142. Ontario residents with an (807) area code only may call the (416) line col- lect. The TDD line for the hearing impaired is (416) 326-8566. Gift of hope and health Over eighty years ago, Cana- dians began the tradition of giv- ing each other the gift of good health by supporting Christmas Seals. The Lung Association is continuing this tradition with the 1990 Christmas Seal Campaign because every twenty minutes, day in and day out, another Cana- dian dies from some form of lung disease. By mid-November, over 3.5 million households in Ontario will receive Christmas Seals sym- bolizing peace, hope and love for use on gifts and cards sent to friends and loved ones. Christmas Seals symbolize even more to the one in five Canadians that suffer from various forms of lung disease. To these people Christmas Seals represent fun- ding for medical research and for unique community health pro- grams which prevent the spread of lung disease in adults and children. "We understand that these are tough economic times, but people with asthma, emphysema or lung cancer can't wait for help until this recession is over. To thousands of kids and adults in Durham Region, the funds raised through our annual Christmas Seal Campaign represent the very breath of life" says Kay Mac- Donald, Campaign chairperson. "We need everyone's support to reach our 4.5 million dollar goal in Ontario." The Lung Association is Canada's oldest health related charity. First established in 1904 to combat tuberculosis, the Association is now concerned with the prevention, alleviation and control of all lung disease.