Exercises: The user as a consumer

Name three basic consumer rights (truthful information, a safe product, the right to complain) and give an example from your own life for each: a label, a toy recalled from the market, a purchase you returned.

Distinguish between buying out of necessity and impulse buying using two of your own examples. Explain what tactics encourage impulse buying (countdown offers, "last remaining units", placing sweets at the checkout) and a strategy to protect yourself against each one.

The figure shows the path of an informed buying decision, but one stop is covered with a question mark.

1. a) Indicate which stop is missing between realising the need and comparing options, and what is done during it (looking for reviews, prices, features).
2. b) Walk through the complete journey with a real purchase you are thinking of making, stopping at each stage.

Explain what the legal guarantee of a product is in Spain (the years the seller must answer for if the product fails) and how it differs from a return by right of withdrawal (changing your mind in an online purchase). Give an example of each case.

Name three documents or pieces of data you must keep after a purchase (the receipt, the invoice, the online order confirmation) and explain what each one is for if there is a problem later. What would you do if the seller doesn't give you a receipt?

Explain what misleading advertising is and spot the possible deception in these adverts: (a) 'the detergent the champions' mothers wash with'; (b) 'was $99\ \text{€}$, now $49\ \text{€}$' on a product that never cost $99\ \text{€}$; (c) '$95\ \%$ of dentists recommend it' without saying how many they asked. Which one seems most serious to you and why?

Distinguish a useful review from a suspicious one in an online shop: (a) 'I've had it for $3$ months and the battery lasts $2$ days, the camera is weak at night'; (b) 'THE BEST THING I'VE EVER BOUGHT!!!' written on launch day. Explain three signs for detecting fake or bought reviews.

Explain what a subscription with automatic renewal is and the trap of the 'first month free'. Describe the two steps you should always take when signing up for a free trial (noting down the end date, checking the statement) and why companies bet on you forgetting.

You are comparing two mobile phones: phone A costs $180\ \text{€}$ with a $1$-year warranty and an average rating of $3,9$ out of $5$ ($40$ reviews); phone B costs $230\ \text{€}$ with a $2$-year warranty and a rating of $4,6$ ($500$ reviews). Justify your purchase using all the data: what matters most to you, what the number of reviews says compared to the rating, and what role the warranty plays.

You buy headphones that stop working after two weeks. Describe the steps to make a complaint in Spain: first to the seller (repair, replacement, or refund under warranty), then the official complaint form, and, if that is not enough, your local consumer office (OMIC). Explain what proof you should always keep.

A shop advertises "TODAY ONLY! $50\ \%$ discount: was $80\ \text{€}$, now $40\ \text{€}$". You look up the product's price history and discover that its usual price was $45\ \text{€}$.

1. a) Calculate the real discount compared to the usual price and compare it with the advertised discount.
2. b) Explain what technique the advert uses and what two quick checks protect you from inflated offers.

You are comparing three backpacks: A, $25\ \text{€}$ (one season according to reviews); B, $55\ \text{€}$ (lasts around $3$ school years); C, $35\ \text{€}$ second-hand, almost new, of brand B.

1. a) Calculate the cost per school year of each option and explain what 'cost per use' is and why it sorts purchases better than price.
2. b) Add two non-economic criteria (environmental impact, guarantee) and decide which one you would buy, defending the choice.

You buy a pair of $40\ \text{€}$ wireless headphones that stop charging after $20$ days. Write the steps for complaining: first to the seller with the receipt, explaining the fault (repair, replacement or refund within the legal guarantee), then the official complaints form and, if that is not enough, the local consumer protection office. Write the first message you would send to the shop with the essential details.

A gaming app has charged you $9,99\ \text{€}$ a month for $4$ months without you noticing: you signed up for a trial and didn't cancel.

1. a) Calculate how much you have paid in total and explain what mechanism these subscriptions use (automatic renewal, a hidden unsubscribe button).
2. b) Write the message to cancel and ask for a refund, and propose two habits so that it doesn't happen again (a monthly review of the statement, bank alerts).

A shop advertises 'closing-down sale: everything at $70\ \%$ off'. It has been advertising it for $2$ years. Explain which right to truthful information is at stake, why that technique works psychologically (urgency and scarcity) and which two checks you can make before 'grabbing' the offer (price history, comparing with other shops).

Your cousin wants to buy a pair of $150\ \text{€}$ limited-edition trainers that 'sell out in $2$ hours'. He earns $40\ \text{€}$ a month.

1. a) Analyse which pressure techniques that market uses (artificial scarcity, fear of missing out, resale) and how they act on the decision.
2. b) Design a 'treat purchase protocol' for him (the $48$-hour rule, a monthly limit, comparing prices) and calculate how much he would save in a year if he applies the limit of one $30\ \text{€}$ treat a month.

On October 10, you buy a pair of trainers online for $60\ \text{€}$ from a Spanish online store. On November 20 ($41$ days later), the parcel has not arrived and you request a full refund of your money. The company replies: "The statutory cooling-off period is $14$ calendar days from the date of purchase, so it has expired. Furthermore, our internal policy does not allow refunds if the order is already with the courier company."

1. a) Refute both of the store's claims using consumer regulations (TRLGDCU): clarify what the maximum legal delivery period is for an online purchase and when the right of withdrawal (cooling-off) period actually starts.
2. b) The store accepts the cancellation on November 25, but by January 10 they still have not transferred the money to you. Justify what financial compensation you are entitled to for this unjustified delay and draft the formal claim demanding the exact amount you are legally owed.

You have $40\ \text{€}$ for a hoodie. Option A: fast fashion brand at $12\ \text{€}$, lasts one season; Option B: local brand at $38\ \text{€}$, lasts for years; Option C: second-hand at $8\ \text{€}$, almost new.

1. a) Compare the three options using explicit criteria: cost per season of use, environmental impact, and who receives the money.
2. b) Make a choice and defend it, acknowledging what you give up compared to the other two options.

A mobile video game that is very popular among 4th-year ESO students uses three monetization mechanisms:

1. «Mythic chest available for only $15$ minutes for $2,99\ \text{€}$!» (with a countdown timer that resets if you close the app).

2. A free $7$-day trial of a premium pass that requires entering a credit card and then automatically starts charging $12,99\ \text{€}$ every week, with no prior notification and no easy option to cancel in the game's settings.

3. In-game virtual coins sold in packs of $500$, $1\,100$ and $2\,500$, with the most desirable items costing $600$ or $1\,200$ coins.

1. a) Analyze the three practices: explain which cognitive bias or dark pattern (dark pattern) each one exploits to encourage impulsive spending, and which transparency rules or consumer rights it violates or sidesteps.
2. b) Design an urgent action guide for a classmate who has suffered an unwanted charge of $12,99\ \text{€}$: detail the specific steps (technical, banking and complaint-related) to cancel the recurring charge and request a refund.

You bought a school backpack online for $45\ \text{€}$, and after three weeks of normal use, a seam tears. When you complain to request a replacement, the store replies: "The $14$-day return period has expired. If you want the manufacturer to inspect it, you must send the backpack to us, paying the shipping costs ($8\ \text{€}$) and an expert assessment fee of $15\ \text{€}$ to certify that it was not due to your negligence."

1. a) Refute the store's arguments by distinguishing the right of withdrawal from the statutory conformity guarantee: explain the legal duration of the guarantee in Spain, who bears the burden of proof during the first year, and what the law requires regarding the cost-free nature of repair or replacement.
2. b) Draft the formal complaint demanding a repair or replacement at no cost, and indicate which public consumer body (such as the OMIC or Consumer Arbitration Boards) you will turn to if you do not receive a favorable response within $14$ days, justifying why consumer arbitration protects you without legal fees.

A well-known TikTok content creator, with thousands of underage followers, promotes a soft drink stating: «This natural supplement improves your academic focus by $50\ \%$ and lets you study all night long without fatigue». In the very last second of the video, the word «promo» appears fleetingly and almost illegibly. A can costs $3,50\ \text{€}$ and, upon examining the can, a student notices that it contains $35\ \text{g}$ of refined sugar, synthetic caffeine, and a warning advising against its consumption by children and teenagers.

1. a) Evaluate the legality of the video based on regulations regarding misleading advertising and the protection of vulnerable consumers: identify at least two specific infractions committed and argue whether legal liability lies solely with the manufacturing brand or also with the content creator.
2. b) Imagine that the school's parent-teacher association decides to report the campaign. Draft the two economic and public health arguments on which they would base their complaint before consumer protection authorities to demand the immediate withdrawal of the ad and a financial penalty for those responsible.

You have $100\ \text{€}$ to upgrade your sound system. Options: a new speaker at $95\ \text{€}$ (a $3$-year guarantee), the same model second-hand for $45\ \text{€}$ (no guarantee, 'works perfectly') or repairing your current speaker for $30\ \text{€}$ (it would be 'as good as new' according to the technician, with a $6$-month guarantee on the repair).

1. a) Compare the three options with explicit criteria: cost, risk (what happens if it fails in $2$ months), the rights you have in each case and environmental impact.
2. b) Decide and defend your choice, acknowledging what you lose versus the other two options and what you would do if the chosen option goes wrong.

A telecom company advertises on bus shelters: «Fibre and mobile for $19\ \text{€}$/month forever». Upon signing up, the customer discovers a charge of $49\ \text{€}$/month on the first bill. The company claims: «Clause 28 of the 35-page contract available on our website explains that the $19\ \text{€}$ was a welcome promotion valid only for the first month. In a free market, every consumer has the obligation to read fully what they sign; there is no deception if the text was accessible».

1. a) Use the economic concepts of information asymmetry and transaction costs to dismantle the company's justification: why does the mere «availability» of an extensive contract not guarantee that the market functions efficiently and fairly?
2. b) Predict what consequences a market without public regulation penalising deceptive fine print would have on consumer welfare and on honest businesses. Propose two specific regulatory measures that guarantee truly effective prior information.

In your 4th year ESO school cooperative, you are going to sell commemorative hoodies to fund the end-of-year trip. In the project assembly, three members propose the following commercial measures to maximise the profit margin:

1. «Let's advertise a price of $22\ \text{€}$, but at the time of delivery charge an extra $3\ \text{€}$ for unforeseen management costs».

2. «Let's state that we do not accept exchanges or returns for any reason, not even if the garment comes with factory defects or loose stitching».

3. «Let's post the complete list of buyers on the school noticeboard with their names, phone numbers, and whether they have paid or owe money, to put pressure on defaulters».

1. a) Refute each proposal economically and legally: explain which basic consumer and data protection rights each one infringes under Spanish law.
2. b) Design an alternative commercial policy for the cooperative: establish a rigorous protocol for handling defective products versus size exchanges, and justify to your partners why acting with transparency and respect for consumer rights will increase the cooperative's net revenue instead of reducing it.