S4: Introduction

What are your consumer rights? What do you do if you have a problem with a good or service you purchased? In Section 4 students will learn that being an informed consumer means knowing about consumer rights and knowing what to do if a problem arises with a good or service they have purchased.

Consumers have certain rights and these are in place to protect you if things go wrong. Through taking part in quizzes and engagement with real life scenarios and case studies students will learn about their rights when buying in a shop, buying online and the difference between both. They will gain knowledge of what rights they have when shopping in the sales. Students will look at specific scenarios that outline what rights you have if you buy a ticket online and if you buy a gift voucher. They will also learn what insurance is, the five principles of insurance and how people can protect themselves by taking out specific types of insurance policies.

Students will be facilitated to apply their knowledge about consumer rights by making a complaint to a business, whether it’s about a poor service or a faulty good. They will consider what scams are, the types of scams that exist, how to protect themselves against scams and what to do if they or someone they know gets scammed.

Learning Outcomes

Students should be able to:

1. Share ideas about what it means to be an informed consumer

2. Compare the experience of shopping online with more traditional ways of shopping

3. Contrast consumer rights for online shopping with rights when buying in a shop

4. Using case studies, explore specific consumer rights in relation to buying during sales, purchasing concerts tickets online and using gift vouchers

5. Discuss insurance using the following headings:

• Conditions of insurance
• Types of insurance
• Importance of shopping around

6. Communicate (orally and in writing) effectively when making a complaint

7. Protect themselves against common scams

8. Take appropriate action in the event of falling victim to a scam

9. Reflect on learning in this section