National Consumer Week 21-25 November

16 November 2011

Officers from Kent County Council’s Trading Standards Service are using National Consumer Week to urge people to check, double check and check again when buying tickets and merchandise for sports events.

As tickets go back on sale for the Paralympics from 2 December, now is the time to stay alert to fraudsters looking to cash in on unsuspecting customers.

The key message of the ‘Good Sports Don’t Fake It’ campaign is that if you are not sure about what you are buying, get advice by phoning 0808 156 2256 or visit DirectGov.

The drive is part of the Trading Standards Institute’s annual National Consumer Week.

Olympic gold medallist Tessa Sanderson said: “It’s so important to make sure that the goods we buy online and elsewhere are the real deal. It can lead to huge disappointment in the case of fake tickets to events like the Olympics or Paralympics.”

Mike Hill, Kent County Council’s Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities said: “Kent has played host to many major sporting events and the Paralympics will be coming to the county for the Road Cycling competition in September 2012. Unfortunately big events present perfect opportunities for criminals to target people keen to watch sport and buy merchandise. We encourage everyone, as part of National Consumer Week, to be on the look out for fakes.”

Help yourself by using the checklist to make sure that you don’t lose your money or end up with unsafe goods:

C  Choose your shopping outlets and websites carefully. 

H  Help yourself. If the deal seems too good to be true then it probably is.

E  Make sure you look for authentic branding and holograms.

C  Contact Trading Standards if you are concerned.

K  Keep a copy of your order and receipts.

KCC’s Trading Standards service will be showcasing a wide variety of counterfeit products. On Monday 21 November officers will be at Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone from 10-4pm.

On Tuesday 22 November they will be at the Ashford Gateway Plus (library), Church Road, Ashford from 10-4pm.