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TODAY IS CYBER Monday – one of the busiest online shopping days of the year. It falls on the last Monday of November after the American holiday, Thanksgiving and their subsequent shopping frenzy day, Black Friday.
This year, Irish shoppers are expected to spend around €420 million on online gifts during the period with the average consumer spending about €227 online for Christmas, according to figures published by Visa Europe.
For the occasion, a number of online retailers have ramped up their deals to get shoppers to click on their websites by starting sales at midnight.
The date shows how Irish people’s shopping habits are evolving during the holiday shopping season, a time when stores can make up to 40 per cent of their annual revenue.
But Cyber Monday hasn’t always been the biggest online shopping day, up until three years ago, that title was earned by the last day shoppers could order items with standard shipping rates and get them delivered before Christmas. That day changes every year, but usually falls in late December.
The National Consumer Agency (NCA) received almost 1,350 queries relating to shopping online this year, mainly relating to faulty goods, goods not being delivered, returning goods, and what consumers should do if they change their mind. On the busiest day of online shopping, they are calling on consumers to know their rights.
Karen O’Leary, Director of Public Awareness and Financial Education, has this advice:
Consumers have a seven-day cooling off period in most cases from the date the item was delivered to cancel the order and return the product. Consumers should be mindful that if the reason for returning it is just because they don’t like the product, it is up to them to pay for the goods to be returned.In order that consumers don’t waste their hard earned cash and avoid the disappointment of goods not arriving on time for Christmas, we would urge consumers to check for expected delivery dates, shipping and handling fees, warranties, return policies and any other key information which may affect them. It is also a good idea to do an online search for companies that you don’t recognise to see if there are any negative references. It is important that consumers know their rights and what solutions are available to them, in case something goes wrong.
- Additional reporting AP
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Good luck to them, they don’t like out of towners up there be they black, white, Cuban or Asian.
@Bingobango: be worse for them if they were from republic of ireland
@Bingobango: is this actually a thing? I’ve always found Belfast to be very welcoming.
@Darren Bates: It most certainly is a thing, Belfast City Centre is a great place to visit, great bars and restaurants but people live in the most polarised communities you have ever seen, and god help you if you’re not one of them.
@Karl Charlie: Wher is that? No such State exists! The name of the country is “Ireland” or “Éire” if you prefer, as per the Irish Constitution. The RoI is a football team!
@Karl Charlie: RoI is a football team…the name of the State is Ireland or Éire as per the Irish Constitution!
@Bingobango: we are also not fond of a*******s so maybe that is the category you fell into. Communities are in agreement on that issue
@Gerry Cummins: Ireland (Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə] (About this soundlisten)), also known as the Republic of Ireland (Poblacht na hÉireann), is a country in north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of Ireland.
The island is Ireland but the bottom 3/4 is the Republic of Ireland and the top 1/4 is Northern ireland
@Bingobango: a bit like the north west then
@Karl Charlie: Wrong. This is what the Iriah constitution says:
Bunreacht na hÉireann
ARTICLE 4
The name of the State is Éire, or, in the English language, Ireland.
@Shauna Cochrane: FYI Wikipedia copy and pastes don’t count. It is not a reliable source which is why in academia – wikipedia is not accepted as such.
@Shauna Cochrane: so explain the “republic of Ireland act 1948″ where we left the commonwealth and became THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
@Karl Charlie: I refer you again to the Constitution which supersedes EVERYTHING.
There is polarisation in the South of Ireland as well between the rich, the poor,the travelling community etc. If you live on a council estate your looked down on by a lot of house owners. I’ve been turned down for jobs because of my address,even though I’ve been more qualified than the people who got the jobs. I’ve also been told to go home because I’m not from the South of Ireland and accused of taking a job from a girl in the South. I’ve been treated very badly by people from the South of Ireland. It seems to be who you know in regards to housing and jobs as well. This has been my own personal experience. Random statements don’t help anyone.
@Marie Mc Laughlin:”I’ve been turned down for jobs because of my address”
That’s a very random statement. Did the employer tell you they were turning you down because of your address?
@Marie Mc Laughlin: I would look a little deeper for the real.issue here. Take a hard look and do yourself a favour in the.long term. Best of luck..
@Chin Feeyin: employers are not going to tell you “sorry you didn’t get the position because of where your from” it happens a lot and you would have to have your head in the clouds to think otherwise (not all jobs do it but there are jobs out there that do)
@Chin Feeyin:
yes they did actually ,it was a job in an off licence that a friend got for me. I had the job until they found out my address. I was then told I couldn’t have the job in case my neighbour’s hassled me because they had alcohol problems. Like I said it’s my personal experience not a random statement.
@Lar Meyler: meaning ?
@Marie Mc Laughlin: ” I’ve been treated very badly by people from the South of Ireland”
Ah now Marie not all Munster people are that bad. There are a few sound ones.
@Lar Meyler: what do you mean ? Why would I want to take a good look at myself for ?
@Ali Ní Dhomhnaill: It’s what they told me, I don’t lie.
@Pseud O’Nym: didn’t mean everyone probably worded that wrong, yes there are very good people here
@Marie Mc Laughlin: you were more qualified than the person who got the job in an off license? I rented in Dublin 1 and from my CV you wouldn’t know where I was originally from. I got plenty of work as an engineer. You need to get some skills and stop blaming everyone else.
Children with beards !
@ken gray: In reality they’re probably about 30 – 40 years old – we’ve seen and heard it all before ugh!!!!!!!!!!
@ken gray: Shave the children
Someone’s cleaning house. Could be tied to those bodies in the back of a truck. Someone’s panicking and cutting them lose. Only question s are who’s and where are the adults matched to those kids
A very sad story. Here’s hoping they don’t get lost in the system. We don’t realise how lucky we are to have our children tucked up in bed, safe and sound.
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