Quotes from Choice:
“As a single mum of 7 children, Ruby was well aware of how vulnerable consumers, women especially, were being ripped off by pushy salesmen peddling shoddy goods.”
Her experience with one described as a ‘Drover’ got in the papers after he ‘Obtained money by means of fraudulent tricks’ from her.
“Her determination to see consumers informed about their rights and about products, in part led to the birth of Choice Magazine in April 1960.”
It seems a long time ago, but how vulnerable are consumers and women in particular, at present, to shoddy sales practices?
As females interested in Choice, do we have experiences we’d like to share in the Forum about some car mechanics that are convinced that women don’t understand cars and can be easily fooled?
Or some tradies that when attending to a faulty appliance in a female-headed household, see them as more trusting and therefore more easily ripped off?
Are there stories out there to show that, even if the attitude still exists, the ‘female consumer’ is no longer a ‘victim’ but a well informed customer?
Or are we still falling victim of tricksters in an age of more sophisticated sales pressure: insidious advertising, continual telemarketing, various payment options, etc?
Looking forward to your input.