This Christmas It’s Not Just What You Buy, But How You Pay For It That Counts
Wednesday 11 November 2009
Pay by credit card for items over £100, think twice about buying gift vouchers and treat savings stamp cards like cash, are the key messages of the Consumer Council’s 2009 Christmas campaign ‘Protect your pound - think before you pay’, launched today.
The Consumer Council wants shoppers to be aware of the safest ways to pay for their presents and festive goods so they will not be out of pocket should they turn out to be faulty, or if a retailer goes out of business before they arrive.
Antoinette McKeown, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council said:
“The Consumer Council is very aware that the past twelve months of recession have been a real struggle for many households. That’s why we want to ensure that the hard earned cash consumers have managed to put away for Christmas is protected. This year, the Consumer Council’s Christmas campaign is all about the safest ways to pay for presents and festive goods.
“Our Christmas card, which we are sending to community and voluntary groups, advice workers, District and Borough Councils, all libraries and constituency offices, provides consumers with important information and advice to keep their purchases safe. For example, paying for goods using a store card might get you a good discount on first use, but you could end up paying over the odds as the interest charged can be a lot higher than for other cards.
“As part of our campaign, we’re also putting festive money saving tips and advice on our website and offering a free Budget Planner for Christmas food and presents to help consumers make the most of their money. To get a FREE copy of the Consumer Council’s Christmas card or Budget Planner, contact 0800 121 6022 or to download them visit www.consumercouncil.org.uk.”
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Ryan 'Santa' Simpson, Senior Consumer Affairs Officer and Antoinette McKeown, Chief Executive of The Consumer Council launch its Chrismas campaign, 'Protect your pound, think before you pay'.
The Consumer Council will be on the ground handing out Christmas cards in:
Belfast city centre on Wednesday 11 November 2009, 1.00 – 3.00pm
Craigavon, Rushmere Shopping Centre on 20 November 2009, 1.00 - 4.00pm
Enniskillen, Erneside Shopping Centre on 26 November 2009, 1.00 – 4.00pm
Ballymena, Fairhill Shopping Centre on Friday 27 November 2009, 2.00 - 5.00pm
1. Consumer Council media contact: Keelin Kelly telephone, 028 9067 4807 or e-mail, kkelly@consumercouncil.org.uk
2. The Consumer Council is an independent consumer organisation, working to bring about change to benefit Northern Ireland’s consumers. The Council campaigns for high standards of service and protection and a fair deal for all. It also carries out research, gives advice and publishes reports and other publications. It deals with individual complaints about buses, trains, planes, ferries, natural gas, electricity, coal and water.
3. For more information, visit our website at www.consumercouncil.org.uk
Related Documents
- Christmas Budget Planner - 3.2MB PDF Document
- Consumer Council Christmas Card 2009 - 1.3MB PDF Document
