Q: Whenever I buy avocados at the supermarket, it seems to be random luck as to whether or not they are bruised inside - even when consumed immediately after purchase. Are perishable goods such as avocados covered by the Consumer Guarantees Act? Bruce
A: The Act says that a retailer can't mislead a customer about the nature or suitability of a product. If you are buying avocados that consistently aren't up to scratch, it's worth raising it with the retailer. Most would probably give you a refund. Countdown offers an "if it's not fresh, it's free" guarantee that should apply here.
But Vanassa McGoldrick, a lawyer at Henderson Reeves Connell Rishworth, says there are also responsibilities on consumers. There is an expectation that you will check avocados' firmness, for example, to work out whether they will be ripe when you need to use them.
"You have to use them in a manner that a reasonable consumer would. You can't put them in the sunshine and then say they went off really quickly."
