Retailers come to the party

Well it must be the festive season because the two retailers mentioned in the previous entry have both come to the party (at least figuratively).

Firstly, the simple problem of a calculator not working was easily fixed: I swapped it for one that did, and the girl at the counter was extremely cheerful about it. I had the receipt and original packaging, and there is a sign up at the checkout saying refunds and exchanges are only given for goods with a manufacturer's defect (ie not if you change your mind for some reason). This is strictly not true, as under the Trade Practices Act you are entitled to a refund in four cases: (1) if the product is defective (2) is not fit for the purpose it was sold (3) was incorrectly described or (4) does not match a sample showed to you. These rights cannot be abrogated by anything the retailer does or says.

The second problem was a measuring spoon set bought from a kitchen accessories retailer setup in the walkway in very temporary premises. Firstly they were still there and as a bonus, the same sales representative was on duty. When I bought the measuring spoon set I specifically asked for one which contained a tablespoon that was as per Australian Standards and therefore 20 mL.

Have a look at the measuring tablespoon(s) in your kitchen drawer. In almost all cases it will be 15 mL, as this is the English, American and even New Zealand standard for a tablespoon. We have two sets of measuring spoons both with 15 mL tablespoons, so to correctly comply with Australian standards you need to use a (15 mL) tablespoon and a teaspoon (5 mL all around the world, thank goodness) to make up the extra 5 mL.

I'm not really sure if any countries other than Australia actually use a 20 mL tablespoon. A quick internet search reveals we are indeed the ONLY country using a 20 mL tablespoon, so no wonder they are so hard to get, as all the units made in China are catering to the UK/US market.

Anyway when I was wrapping up the presents last night I had a look at the tablespoon I had been supplied and worse luck, it was 15 mL. I didn't actually look at the spoons when I bought them. The sales lady simply said it was 20 mL and I relied on this to purchase them. Again the Trade Practices Act comes in and the goods are not as described.

When explaining the situation, the lady remembered me and immediately offered a refund. I still had a look around hoping to get a 20 mL tablespoon, but alas, no such thing was possible. I took the refund as I certainly don't want a third set of US measuring spoons. She said I'd have trouble getting such a spoon and I agreed with her, although I had seen one in the past somewhere.

However, I did manage to find two spoons in the entire Erina Fair (both in the same shop). Not only that, they were stainless steel, not plastic, and were $1 cheaper! We now at last have a 20 mL tablespoon! There is now only ONE 20mL tablespoon in the entire shopping mall. I know where it is if you're looking for it and it hasn't already been snaffled up!