Council urges consumers to be vigilant this Mother’s Day Banking services for everyone
MOTHERS play a very important role in our lives; they raise us, care for us and sacrifice their needs and wants for us. Mother’s Day should be celebrated every day, but when day to day life gets in the way of making moms feel extra special, hence Mother’s Day becomes an opportune time for most people to appreciate their mothers’ hard work and sacrifice.
Most people use Mother’s Day to show their appreciation and love towards their mothers by presenting gifts such as jewellery and having family feasts; filled with delicacies especially baked goods and pastries.
For this reason, the demand for gifts such as jewellery and baked goods and pastries increases during Mother’s Day celebrations. Therefore, the Consumer Council of Fiji is urging consumers not to be swayed in the shopping and gift hunting hype but to be vigilant with each purchase. This is being recommended based on the increase in the number of complaints during such events and celebrations.
Consumers are encouraged to take heed of the following advisory tips when out shopping for gifts (especially jewellery) and baked goods.
Purchasing jewellery for mum Nothing says “you rock mum” more than, well, a rock!
A lot of consumers prefer gifting jewellery to their mums; mainly because their mums may have a love for jewellery; simply admire them; or it may hold sentimental value to them. However, buying jewellery is not everyone’s cup of tea especially when you are planning to invest big bucks on it. Thus, from the time you contemplate purchasing any jewellery to making the final purchase, thorough research, price comparison and evaluation of products are imperative. For consumers who are not familiar with jewelleries, it is always advisable to seek assistance from family members, friends or someone with experience. One should not make rash decision in such matters and indulge in a transaction they later regret.
Below are a few tips for consumers when it comes to buying jewellery this Mother’s Day:
1. Research the jewellery you are after – Check prices by visiting several jewellery outlets and use internet for more information. Find out the varieties in which jewellery is available. If you have any particular shop in mind where you want to purchase from- check the reputation of the shop;
2. Check metal purity/quality – Consumers may be aware of the fact that not all jewellery is in their pure form and may be alloyed with other metals. Jewellery made of precious metals should be stamped in some way to show its purity, therefore, consumers should be raising questions if they do not see any stamps. Enquire about the jewellery’s contents. For example, if you are opting for:
Diamond - make sure to purchase from a jeweller you trust and if possible, have the stone appraised by another jeweller. When you are searching for facts and information on buying a diamond, look for the 4 C’s: cut, colour, clarity and carats (weight).
Gold- there are many different
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types and colours from rose to white. Enquire the karat of gold present in your jewellery. Commonly, gold jewellery also contains base metals as pure gold is too soft and will not keep its shape well over time. For example, 14 karat (14K) gold contains 14 parts of gold mixed with 10 parts of base metals. Also, differentiate between gold jewellery and gold-plated jewellery.
White Gold – although white gold is popular, it can have its problems. It is alloyed with a high-quality metal such as platinum which will retain a good whiteness but if it is a low-quality nickel mix – it will need regular re-plating to maintain the shine. Jewellers must inform the consumers about re-plating requirements before they sell the jewellery.
Gemstones/pearls - Know the difference between laboratory-created gemstones and naturally mined stones. Since both may look exactly alike it can be tricky to ascertain which is natural and which is not. The big difference is the cost. Man made gems are less expensive to make than stones created by Mother Nature.
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Purchasing baked goods and pastries
Apart from gifting jewellery, most Fijians will also be cutting cakes with their mothers to commemorate Mother’s Day along with enjoying their pastries and baked goods. Given its high demand, consumers are encouraged to take heed of the following tips when purchasing pastries and baked goods:
1. Check for the freshness of the product by looking at baked on date of the baked goods;
2. Look out for packaging defects such as tears or holes in the plastics;
3. Ensure to check reviews if you are planning to purchase baked goods from an online baker;
4. Compare prices. Products such as cake can costs up to hundreds of dollars;
Consumers coming across any unethical practices while doing their Mother’s Day shopping are encouraged to contact the council on toll-free number 155 or lodge a complaint using the Consumer Council of Fiji mobile app.
BANK South Pacific (BSP) understands the need to provide banking services to every Fijian, says group chief executive officer Robin Fleming.
He made this comment during the customer cocktail event hosted by BSP held at the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa on Thursday night.
“Everyone is important to BSP, whether the most elite corporate client or someone who is engaged in a subsistence economy,” he said.
Mr Fleming said BSP was a Pacific bank whose interest and future lies with the Pacific people.
“We are not here for the generations, we are here forever and there is no going away because this is our home.
“We are a bank of some magnitude with the support of our loyal customers.”
He said the support from his staff over the years had been exceptional.
“We have not just built a business but we have built a team and we are very proud of our team.
“We are number one in terms of profitability, in terms of balance sheet and also in terms of market share.”
Mr Fleming said during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pacific countries were able to prevent the loss of lives in many instances, however, because of the border closures, the economic impact was significant.
“Economic impact translated into people losing their jobs or having part time employment and businesses were experiencing downturn in their business related activities.”
He said during this period, BSP was very cautious about the changes in their interest rates as customers couldn’t afford additional interest costs.
BSP County head Haroon Ali acknowledged the level of leadership provided by Mr Fleming in navigating the banking institution during the pandemic.
“We thank him for taking care of all the staffs during the challenging period by maintaining the same salaries plus no staff was laid off or their working hours were reduced.”