Everything you need to know to avoid present fails this Christmas Day

Everything you need to remember when you’re doing your Christmas shopping this year.

There are few things to think about before wrapping Christmas pressies to avoid tears on the big day.

It’s every parents’ dreaded Christmas Day nightmare: you’ve bought your kid the latest hot-shot toy, it’s been under the tree for weeks, they wake up the most excited you’ve ever seen them to open it, but wait: it needs batteries.

And it’s not just toys needing batteries; gifts for older family members may also need some added accessories or extra thought to prevent them from being exchanged on Boxing Day.

Here’s a handy guide on how to avoid gift-giving fails.

There are few things to think about before wrapping Christmas pressies to avoid tears on the big day.

CAMERAS/DRONES

While people have been enjoying cameras and amateur photography for decades, drones have made their mark as the fun, hi-tech way to take some truly spectacular landscape videos.

But the advancements in tech means you’ll rarely be able to just take your new device right out of the box to play shutterbug.

Everything For The Man editor Trevor Long said there’s a few things to think about.

“If you’re giving someone a camera this Christmas, consider that they’re going to want to get snapping right away,” he said.

“So my advice here is to perhaps open the box and charge the battery that comes with it, and also get them a good quality memory card so they have everything they need in that one present.

“It’s similar for new drone owners, you need battery power to get in the sky, so if you can unbox it before you wrap it, charge the battery for the drone and controller it will be a huge advantage on the day. Similarly, you will need an SD card to capture photos and video.”

And while it’s not an essential item, consider spare batteries for drones too; even the best high-end drones only get about an hour’s worth of flight before you need to pop the battery out for a recharge.

There’s also some pretty strict rules around drone usage, so make sure your drone recipient reads up on the Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s Know Your Drone rules.

After all, you’d hate for your gift recipient to cop a $37,000 fine or spend two years in prison because they flew their new present too close to a plane.

Think about what you need to get the present up and running right out of the box.

MOBILE PHONES
If you’re lucky enough to score a new phone for Christmas, make sure your Santa includes a couple of things which will make sure you’re still using it come the following December.

“The best thing you can do for the long life of the phone and overall value is to put a screen protector and case on it before you even start to use it” Mr Long said.

“So invest in a decent glass screen protector like the Belkin Invisishield and a case to protect the outside of the phone, they will thank you in the long run.”

Likewise, phone cases help protect from those accidental bumps, knocks, and sudden trips to the floor. Just make sure you pick the case size which matches the model of phone.

It also helps to ask the salesperson selling you the phone if the handset is locked to a particular network.

RIDEABLES

Similar to drones, rideable tech like e-bikes, e-scooters, and even the brief fad of so-called ‘hoverboards’ have been popular gifts for young and old in recent years.

Similar to drones, rideables can be fun, but also have their own laws governing their use.

“For anything rideable, particularly motorised items, consider getting a strong grasp of the laws in your area to ensure you’re giving the best advice on where it can be ridden,” Mr Long said.

“Then of course a helmet is a must, but for the younger ones, think about possible elbow and knee pads too.”

E-scooters and other electronic rideables have soared in popularity with both kids and adults in recent years.

TELEVISIONS

Whether you’re being generous with the gift of a TV this Christmas, or being your own Santa and treating yourself, there are a couple of things to keep in mind — especially when buying for someone else.

Trevor Long recommends factoring installation to the gifting budget.

“Any TV looks better on the wall, so consider a parallel gift of wall mounting, pay for the service so it’s no one’s headache, and it can be enjoyed for a long time,” he said.

“Also think about things like streaming subscription gift cards, even if they already have the service, a gift card will reduce the cost for one or more months.”

Measuring out the space where the TV will go ahead of time can also ensure you pick the right screen size.

AUDIO

Headphones, earphones, earbuds, and anything else you can think of for personal audio enjoyment always make great gifts, provided you pick a suitable pair.

The key thing to consider is what the device will be used for: will they need sweat/water resistance for the gym? Do they need good call quality for work?

Different features suit different uses, so consider their primary use before pulling the trigger on the wrong set of headphones.

“Many headphones have wireless charging, so think about a desktop/nightstand wireless charger,” Mr Long said.

“It’s a cleaner way to charge your headphones rather than having cables hanging around.

“As with the TV, you could also consider music streaming service vouchers along with the headphones.”

Remember to keep those receipts just incase the present still manages to be not quite what the recipient wanted.

RETURNING GIFTS

This is the big one. Sometimes you can do everything right to ensure you’ve picked the perfect gift, only for it to be the wrong size, wrong model, or something your recipient already owns.

Good thing you can always return the item for something else. There’s just a few things to keep in mind to make things go smoothly.

Always remember when you buy a product in Australia, you’re protected by consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) maintains any item can be returned if it’s not in an acceptable quality, or isn’t fit for purpose.

An ACCC spokesperson said that includes services provided.

“You can claim a remedy from the retailer if the products do not meet any one or more of the consumer guarantees,” the spokesperson said.

“The retailer can’t refuse to help you by sending you to the manufacturer or importer.”
But businesses are also protected, and are within their rights to see a receipt or some other form of proof the product was purchased from them.

So remember to keep those receipts handy; either the physical receipt, copy on a mobile phone, or even a photo of the original. Most stores will also be able to provide you with a gift receipt, just ask before you check out.

Keeping the original packaging nice and neat also won’t hurt, and make sure anything heading back to the store has all its accessories included.

“If you simply decide you no longer like something you bought (including for example if you purchased the wrong size) your ability to return the product for a refund or store credit will depend on the individual business’s return policy,” the ACCC spokesperson said.

“If you are purchasing a gift for someone but aren’t confident that they will like or need it, it is worth checking the business’s return policy before you buy it. Businesses are able to put conditions on such returns under these return policies (such as requiring a tag to still be attached, or excluding sale items).

“However, businesses can’t put those same conditions on returns where products do not meet the Australian Consumer Law consumer guarantees.”

Gift cards also have their own rules under the Consumer Law; they need to have a minimum three-year expiry period, clearly display the expiry date, and must not include any post-supply fees (however, there are some exceptions).