Consumer Advice On Buying Shoes and Lost Cards – IELTS Reading

To effectively tackle and answer diverse question types, of the IELTS General Reading module try taking up IELTS Reading passages like the ‘Consumer Advice On Buying Shoes’ and ‘Lost Cards’ from the Cambridge 15 IELTS General Reading Test 1!

Ideally, you should not spend more than 20 minutes on a passage. Let’s see how easy these passages are for you and if you’re able to make it in 20 minutes. If not, try more IELTS general reading practice tests from IELTSMaterial.com.

There are 14 questions in total in the reading passages, ‘Consumer Advice On Buying Shoes’ and ‘Lost Cards.’ You must understand the subject, look up key terms in the IELTS reading passages, and then respond in line with the instructions.

The question types found in this passage are:

• True/False/Not Given (Q. 1-8)
• Multiple-choice questions (Q. 9-14)

Reading Passage 1

Read the text below and answer Questions 1-8.

Consumer Advice On Buying Shoes

If you have a problem with shoes you’ve recently bought, follow this four-step plan.

Step 1

Go back to the shop with proof of purchase. If you return faulty shoes at once, you have a right to insist on a refund. It is also likely that you will get one if you change your mind about the shoes and take them back immediately. But, if you delay or you’ve had some use out of the shoes, the shop may not give you all your money back. It depends on the state of the shoes and how long you’ve had them.

If you are offered a credit note, you don’t have to accept it. If you accept it, you will usually not be able to exchange it for cash later on. So, you may be left with an unwanted credit note, if you cannot find any other shoes you want from the shop.

The shop may want to send the shoes back to the head office for inspection. This is fair and could help to sort things out. But don’t be put off by the shop which claims that it’s the manufacturer’s responsibility. This isn’t true. It’s the shop’s legal duty to put things right.

Step 2

If you don’t seem to be getting anywhere, you can get help. Free advice is available from a Citizens Advice Bureau (get the address from your telephone book), or from a local Trading Standards Department. Again, consult the telephone directory under County, Regional or Borough Council. All these departments have people who can advise you about faulty goods and what to do with them.

Step 3

Most shops are covered by the Footwear Code of Practice. If the shop you are dealing with is covered, you can ask for the shoes to be sent to the Footwear Testing Centre for an independent opinion. The shop has to agree with whatever the resulting report says. There is a charge of £21. You pay £7 and the shop pays the rest (including postage).

Step 4

As a last resort, you can take your case to court. This is not as difficult as it sounds. The small claims procedure for amounts up to £ 1000 (£750 in Scotland) is a cheap, easy and informal way of taking legal action.

The relevant forms are available from your nearest County Court or, in Scotland, the Sheriff Court. You can get advice and leaflets from the Citizens Advice Bureau. Alternatively, some bookshops sell advice packs which contain the relevant forms.

Questions 1-8

1. If you return unwanted shoes straightaway, with a receipt, the shop will probably give you a refund.
2. You are advised to accept a credit note if you are offered one.
3. The factory is responsible for replacing unwanted shoes.
4. You can ask any shoe shop to send shoes to the Footwear Testing Centre.
5. Shops prefer to give a credit note rather than change shoes.
6. The customer contributes to the cost of having faulty shoes tested.
7. The procedure for making a legal claim is easier in Scotland.
8. Legal advice and forms can be bought from certain shops.

Reading Passage 2

Read the text below and answer Questions 9-14.

Lost Cards

If you discover that your credit card, cheque book, debit card or cash card is missing, telephone the credit card company or bank as soon as possible. Follow this up with a letter. If you suspect theft, tell the police as well. In most circumstances, provided you act quickly, you will not have to pay any bills which a thief runs up on your account. Most home insurance policies will also cover you against even this limited risk.
Because plastic money is now so common, central registration schemes such as Credit Card Shield and Card Protection System exist to help customers whose cards are lost or stolen. Under the schemes, you file details of all your cards – including cash cards and account cards issued by shops – with a central registry, for a small annual fee. Then, if any or all of your cards are stolen, you need to make only one phone call to the registry, which is open around the clock 365 days a year. As soon as you have called, your responsibility for any bills run up by the thief ends and the scheme’s staff make sure that all the companies whose cards you had are notified.

What you stand to lose on a stolen card

CREDIT CARD You will not have to pay more than £50 of the bills a thief runs up with your card. If you report the loss before the card is used, you will not have to pay anything.

CHEQUES AND GUARANTEE CARD Unless you have been careless – by signing blank cheques, say – you will not have to pay for any forged cheques a thief uses. The bank or shop that accepts them will have to bear the loss.

DEBIT CARD (Switch or Visa Delta) The banks operate a system similar to that for credit cards, in that you are liable for bills up to £50.

If your cash card is stolen

Legally, you can be made to pay back any sums a thief withdraws using your card, but only up to the time you report the loss and up to £50, unless the bank can prove gross negligence, such as writing your personal identification number on your card.

• Never keep your card and a note of your personal number (which does not appear on the card) together.
• Memorise your personal number if possible. If you must make a note of it, disguise it as something else – a telephone number, say.
• The same rules and precautions apply to a credit card used as a cash card.

Question 9-14

9. What should you do first if you lose a credit card?
A. contact your insurance company
B. write a letter
C. contact the police
D. make a phone call

10. Credit Card Shield is
A. an insurance company which deals with card theft.
B. a system for registering people’s card details.
C. an emergency telephone answering service.
D. an agency for finding lost or stolen cards.

11. When contacted, the Card Protection System company will
A. inform the police about the loss of the card.
B. get in touch with the relevant credit card companies.
C. ensure that lost cards are replaced.
D. give details about the loss of the card to shops.

12. You are fully covered by both banks and shops if you lose
A. a cheque that is signed but not otherwise completed.
B. a blank unsigned cheque.
C. a Switch card
D. a credit card

13. If you have written your personal number on a stolen card, you may have to
A. join a different credit card protection scheme.
B. pay up to £50 for any loss incurred.
C. pay for anything the thief buys on it.
D. change your account to a different bank.

14. What happens if your cash card is stolen?
A. you arrange for the card to be returned.
B. the bank stops you withdrawing money.
C. you may have to pay up to £50 of any stolen money.
D. you cannot use a cash card in future.

Answers For ‘Consumer Advice On Buying Shoes’ and ‘Lost Cards’ IELTS Reading Passages With Location and Explanation 

Read further for the explanations and location of the ‘Consumer Advice On Buying Shoes’ and ‘Lost Cards’ IELTS reading answers!

1. Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer Location: Step 1

Answer explanation: The passage explicitly states, “If you return faulty shoes at once, you have a right to insist on a refund.” This means that if you return the shoes promptly with proof of purchase, you are entitled to a refund. Hence the answer is True.

2. Answer: False

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer Location: Step 1

Answer explanation: The passage advises against accepting a credit note by saying, “If you accept it, you will usually not be able to exchange it for cash later on.” This implies that accepting a credit note is not recommended because it might not be convertible to cash later. Hence the answer is False.

3. Answer: False

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer Location: Step 1

Answer explanation: The passage clearly states, “But don’t be put off by the shop which claims that it’s the manufacturer’s responsibility. This isn’t true. It’s the shop’s legal duty to put things right.” This indicates that it’s the shop’s responsibility, not the factory’s, to address issues with the shoes. Hence the answer is False.

4. Answer: False

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer Location: Step 3

Answer explanation: The passage mentions, “Most shops are covered by the Footwear Code of Practice. If the shop you are dealing with is covered, you can ask for the shoes to be sent to the Footwear Testing Centre for an independent opinion.” This suggests that not every shoe shop can send shoes to the Footwear Testing Centre; it depends on whether the shop is covered by the Footwear Code of Practice. Hence the answer is False.

5. Answer: Not given

Question type: True/False/Not given

Answer Location: N. A.

Answer explanation: The passage does not provide information on whether shops prefer giving credit notes over exchanging shoes. Hence the answer is Not given.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in the ‘Consumer Advice On Buying Shoes’ and ‘Lost Cards’ IELTS Reading Passages

Let us check out some quick tips to answer the types of questions in the ‘Consumer Advice On Buying Shoes’ and ‘Lost Cards’ Reading passages.

True/False/Not Given: 

True/False/Not Given questions are a type of IELTS Reading question that requires you to identify whether a statement is true, false, or not given in the passage.

• True statements are statements that are explicitly stated in the passage.
• False statements are statements that are explicitly contradicted in the passage.
• Not Given statements are statements that are neither explicitly stated nor contradicted in the passage

To answer True/False/Not Given questions, you need to be able to understand the passage and identify the key information. You also need to be able to distinguish between statements that are explicitly stated, contradicted, and not given.

Multiple Choice Questions:

You will be given a reading passage followed by several questions based on the information in the paragraph in multiple choice questions. Your task is to understand the question and compare it to the paragraph in order to select the best solution from the available possibilities.

• Before reading the passage, read the question and select the keywords. Check the keyword possibilities if the question statement is short on information.
• Then, using the keywords, read the passage to find the relevant information.
• To select the correct option, carefully read the relevant words and match them with each option.
• You will find several options with keywords that do not correspond to the information.
• Try opting for the elimination method mostly.
• Find the best option by matching the meaning rather than just the keywords.

Great work on attempting to solve the ‘Consumer Advice On Buying Shoes’ and ‘Lost Cards’ IELTS reading passage! To crack your IELTS Reading in the first go, try solving more of the recent IELTS Reading Passages.

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