This information is just to give you an idea of how to get around asking for your rights

Forty years ago the population in Lanzarote were ninety nine per cent natives from the Island, but nowadays Lanzarote is very popular, people are free to travel and settle, and some people don't care causing harm to others. Actually there are acknowledged more than one hundred thousand people living in Lanzarote, and some people estimate that there are more than twenty thousand irregulars finding day after day their way through.

The Lanzarotean government tries to do all possible to keep the island attractive to tourism, there are rules for living and commerce that match European standards, this means that there are some shops from people settled legally in Lanzarote that use inappropriate selling techniques without breaking the law, for some people this means very little because they check everything before showing their money, that is what they call a difficult rip-off, but some others while on holiday, enjoying, buy things and tours and apartments without having investigated about it.

Lanzarote is a very recommendable island, people have a good time, people buy things, etc. and there is no problem, but bear in mind the crooks!, nowadays there's a few of them around, everybody knows them, except the visitors.

Hints

Whenever you feel like buying anything in Lanzarote, make sure that you get enough information about the item, where it comes from, warranties, parts and spare parts, prices compared to Europe.

Electronics

•  If possible get information about the best place to buy, make sure they are decent people.

•  Listen carefully to everything, check that words match reality

•  Open the case of item to buy, make sure everything is included, batteries, lenses, connection cables, etc

•  Take electronic machine in hand and try it (employees are there to show you and waste their time with you and answer questions, never think you are disturbing).

•  Make sure that the agreed price includes tax and duties.

•  When decision is made, make sure that you pay the agreed price, credit cards must NOT be taken away from your eyes, sign after you check date, total and modality of payment.

•  Make sure you get a bill, or a receipt which shows the name of the shop or enterprise, Nif. Which is the Fiscal Identification Number, the receipt must be exchanged for a proper bill before the end of the fiscal year, so better get directly a bill. If you don't get this paper you will not be able to complain later. A bill shows the seller's name or enterprise, number of bill, address, N.i.f., date, purchaser, description of item, number of items, price and taxes.

•  Make sure that you get a valid European warranty, that your country and nearest city to home is specified on the sheet of paper, or if you get a world warranty, check that it works in your country, at least in the capital, some world warranties are only applicable in Hong Kong, that means you must send item there at your cost.

Properties

•  When looking forward to buying a property in Lanzarote, there is a large choice of shops, papers, websites and phone numbers, they all look good and does not matter which one you choose as long as you see everything clear on legal papers and deals with your property details even while you are away.

•  A property in Spain must be registered in the registry office, if you are offered a property without legal papers, refuse to show your money until you can check that there are deeds to that property and have been registered. In the registration of any property in Spain you must find the name of the owner (person, company, society, association, etc) and a Nif. (fiscal identification number). Each Fiscal person or society or association in Spain has a legal Nif, with both name and Nif you can find out if there are any charges, Community, Town Hall, water, electricity, mortgages, telephone.

•  Make sure that what you are offered is what legal papers specify, don't buy 2000 sq.metres when in paper there are only 200.

•  Look for the property you want to buy and make sure that the Estate Agent can provide legal papers that assure the property is not in debt and clear from any charges, make sure that the estate agent is allowed to sell that property (must have a contract with the owner)

•  Purchase agreement is what you will be offered to sign and pay a deposit, but if you have the firm decision to buy, ask to be taken direct to the notary (any paper that a person signs is valid in Spain, but to demonstrate that it is truth it can cost you an arm and a leg in tribunals), so the best way is to sign in front of the Notary, both, you and the seller (or the person authorised by power of attorney " Poder Notarial "). You must pay notary honoraries on signing or retrieving your deeds.

•  After you sign the deeds of your property, you must hand copies to the registry office before thirty days, otherwise purchase is invalidated. You must pay Registry office when retrieving your deeds already registered, and as this office passes a copy to the local Town Hall authorities, you must pay the town hall some charges called "Plus Valia" which refers to the difference of price of a property with a building on it, on a change of deeds, when the deeds of the seller were done the legal price of the property was different to the legal price of the same property nowadays.

Tours

Make sure that you ask all the questions about the tour and facilities before agreeing to go on one.

•  Must be a legal Tour Company or provider if you don't obtain it direct from the organiser.

•  Ask all the necessary questions about it, price, pick up point, what you will do, where, how, facilities, lunch, insurance, etc. It's always different for each different trip, but some things are common to all of them, like for an example: a tour to see dolphins. You get your ticket from a legal representative after a brief vague explanation about it, but you should ask, by boat or dolphinarium? , if they will transfer you from/to?, where?, is there a tour guide who speaks your language?, how long does the tour last?, insurance?, lunch?, boat details?, toilets?, bar?, seats?, sheltered area?, kids area or security?.

Passenger Rights

If the seller is not interested in providing and any of the legal papers to what they are obliged in Spain, then think about another shop.

If your merchandise breaks or there's a malfunction then remember that by law everything you purchase in Spain has two years of warranty except if specifically written and stamped on warranty sheet.

When anything is out of the normal way don't waste a lot of time arguing with the shop owner or calling the police, ask for a complaint sheet (Hoja de Reclamacion), all businesses in Spain are obliged to have them, and to advertise that they have them, so in one of the walls facing the public you must see a square notice of measurements approx. like an A4 sheet of paper, that specifies in a few languages " Warning, Claim forms are available for customers ". The procedure is simple, you ask for one complaint sheet, if they refuse to give to you, call the police and say that the shop does not provide the complaint sheets, the police must enforce them to give them to you. The sheet is already filled with their details, you have to write on the complaint sheet what you are complaining for and your personal details too. The shop will then give you a copy. On the back of the paper it is written the address of the Consumers Office. You have to take your copy there. The shops are very scared of having many complains because they are going to get many visits from inspectors and they can get fines.