Q: I was in a shop dressing room that had a sign saying that if customers damaged clothing while trying it on, they would have to pay for it. It also said no one was allowed to take photos in the dressing rooms. Can a store really make me buy something if it's inadvertently damaged while I'm trying it on? And why no photos? I was shopping alone and wanted a second opinion.
A: Signs like that aren't legally binding, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment tells me. Whether you have to pay for a breakage depends on whether you failed to take reasonable care. If you were trying on an item in a relatively normal fashion, they likely can't hold you responsible.
As for photos, Murray Bevan, of fashion PR firm Showroom22, tells me it is probably because of shops being worried about having their designs copied.
But Anna-Lise Sharma, of Ruby, can't understand it. She says it's great for her brand if shoppers take photos of themselves trying items on, especially if they then put the photo on Facebook. "We encourage it for social media chatter."
