by CARLOS ATWELL

STORE SIGNS SUCH AS "no exchanges or refunds" and "while stocks last" are not only meaningless, but are against the laws of Barbados.

In fact, some such violations carry with them a maximum penalty of $100 000 or two years' imprisonment.

This was among the issues discussed at a panel discussion Tuesday night, organised as part of the Christ Church Parish Church's Outreach Programme at the church's Parish Centre on Church Hill.

Panellists at the consumer education and protection discussion included Summer Chandler, legal officer in the Office of Public Counsel; Judy Maynard, officer in charge of consumer protection at the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) and Duanna Wiltshire, consumer protection officer at the FTC.

Chandler spoke on the Consumer Guarantees Act, which dealt with matters such as title, acceptable quality, price, repair and spare parts, while Maynard touched on the Consumer Protection Act, which dealt with matters such as contracts and unfair trade practices.

In terms of the "while stocks last" slogan, Maynard said suppliers needed to state exactly how much stock they had left. She also urged consumers to be especially vigilant now, as Christmas was approaching.

"Watch out for bait advertising, where if you see an item at a certain price and rush to get it, you only find another item or price," she said.

Chandler cautioned against purchasing items with extended warrantees as the law already provided certain guarantees.

She said they would soon be reviewing the Guarantees Act to see where it could be improved.

However, both Maynard and Chandler said the legislation to protect consumers was working and they were seeing improvement in consumer matters.

"We want you well informed, vigilant and to make good choices," said Maynard.