THE CONFIDENT CONSUMER

A watchdog's guide to smart buying and your consumer rights

by Geoff Sirmai

Ever paid good money for bad service? Handed over hard-earned money for a dodgy product? This book will arm you with tactics to turn the tables.

With knowledge of your rights and a crash course in customer assertiveness, you'll learn to deflect tricky marketing hype and steer through the jungle of deceptive practices. Where do you stand legally? Refund, replacement or repair? Maybe even compensation? What's a
life-time warranty worth? How far can you push when things go wrong?
Spiced with rip-roaring tales of consumer victories, The Confident Consumer is the ultimate consumer ‘bible’.

At its core is Geoff’s Consumer A-Z, guiding you through the maze of
more than a hundred goods and services. Plus you’ll learn how to avoid the rip-offs, rorts, scams, schemes and frauds that could take you for all you’ve got!

Read this book before you shop!

"Very comprehensive" - The Age
"Easy to read, entertaining" - Sydney Morning Herald
"Ahead of the pack… a lively read"- Aust. Consumers' Association
"A compendium of common sense.. an invaluable tool." - The News
"What a great resource!" - Australian Personal Computer
"Everything you need to know." -The Mercury
"One of the best books around on the subject." - Body & Mind
"Very, very good. Four stars." Manly Daily

ALLEN & UNWIN ISBN 1 86448 743 7 $22.00

Table of Contents

1. Confident Consumers Rule! or The meek shall inherit a
   set of steak knives...
2. They Can't Get Away With That: Your basic rights
3. But They Promised: Contractual and other consumer rights
4. Smart Buying: How to get what you want, first time
5. Beating Advertising Hype or Taking the huff out of 'puff'
6. The Consumer's A-Z: An alphabetical guide to products,
   services and consumer traps
7. You're Not Alone: What to do and where to go for help

Geoff Sirmai gained his media persona as the 'consumer's best friend' while the public face of the Australian Consumers' Association - the 'Voice' of Choice magazine. Later a reporter on ABC-TV's The Investigators program and consumer affairs producer for the Seven Network, he then became a consumer advocate and media commentator in his own right. Geoff has made thousands of TV and radio appearances and his 'Your Rights' columns in the Sunday Telegraph. (as well as Woman's Day and Better Homes & Gardens) ran for ten years, read weekly by more than a million Australians each week.

In December 2001 he was honoured with a high commendation in the inaugural NSW Consumer Protection Awards for his "long, dedicated and valuable contribution to the delivery of information and consumer protection."

Helen Wellings launches The Confident Consumer

To order a copy of The Confident Consumer
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