Consumers entitled to full cash refunds
The National Consumer Agency (NCA) reiterated yesterday that consumers are entitled to be refunded on pork meat and products containing pork bought after September 1 this year.
“Under legislation consumers are entitled to repair, replacement or refund of a faulty product. In the case of pork meat or other food products containing pork, consumers are entitled to a refund as a repair or replacement does not apply in this instance,” said NCA chief executive Anne Fitzgerald.
“While in general, consumers should have proof of purchase, the NCA urges all retailers to be reasonable, particularly where products only sold by that retailer are concerned,” she said.
The agency said there appears to be confusion on the issue, with some retailers taking different approaches to refunds, or not yet clarifying their position. It has contacted the major retailers to find out how they are approaching the issue of refunds and tell them of the agency’s expectations.
The NCA’s position is that consumers should return the affected products together with a receipt, if it is available. Where consumers do not have a receipt, the agency expects shops to refund them in relation to own-brand products and adopt a reasonable approach to refunds for branded and other products where the consumer is known to be a customer.
Customers are being advised that retailers should provide a cash refund in all cases, although the NCA said there have been indications that some retailers are seeking to differentiate between own-brand and branded products, offering cash in some cases and credit notes in other cases.
For products bought in a multiple store, such as Dunnes, Tesco, Superquinn, Aldi or Lidl, any branch should accept the returned product and issue a refund.
The NCA said it is calling on retailers to immediately confirm their acceptance of this approach.
If consumers have any problems they can contact the National Consumer Agency at 01-4025555 or Lo Call 1890 432 432.
