KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) is advising consumers not to be deterred by signs in business places , such as ‘No Refund/No Exchange’ or ‘If you break it, you buy it’, when shopping this holiday season.

In a release on Monday, Communications Director, CAC, Latoya Halstead, said “those signs are exactly what they are – signs. They hold no power.”

She informed that the Consumer Protection Act states that if an item is purchased and the consumer encounters an issue, the first step is for them to contact the vendor.

“After you have done that, the step that the vendor needs to take is to try to repair it. If they are unable to repair it, they need to exchange it. If they are unable to exchange it, they need to refund you your money,” Halstead emphasised, noting that consumers should know their rights.

Regarding the ‘If you break it, you buy it’ sign, Halstead advised consumers to be careful when shopping, especially with children as they have a responsibility to supervise the child.

“The fact is, you do have some stores with narrow aisles and if you take your child in that store and you are not supervising your child and you allow your child to just run amok, you’re at fault. However, if an accident happens, we can understand,” she said.

Moreover, Halstead is reminding consumers that when they purchase major appliances, to bear in mind that the electricity cycle in Jamaica differs from where the appliance originated.

“In an instance like that, we encourage you to get a step-down transformer so that you can preserve the life of your equipment that much longer,” she added.

The CAC is an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce and has a responsibility to protect consumers. It carries out its mandate through consumer education, the handling of complaints and by conducting market surveillance.