{"id":189125,"date":"2023-11-25T11:08:59","date_gmt":"2023-11-25T11:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsneednews.com\/?p=189125"},"modified":"2023-11-25T11:08:59","modified_gmt":"2023-11-25T11:08:59","slug":"martin-lewis-issues-warning-to-shoppers-over-black-friday-as-he-says-be-careful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsneednews.com\/lifestyle\/martin-lewis-issues-warning-to-shoppers-over-black-friday-as-he-says-be-careful\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin Lewis issues warning to shoppers over Black Friday as he says ‘be careful’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Martin Lewis has called on people to be \u201ccareful\u201d if shopping this Black Friday as stores slash their prices as part of the annual sales event. <\/p>\n

Ahead ofBlack Friday on Friday 24 November,which has already seen brands roll out huge deals, the consumer expert has issued a caution to shoppers who may be hoping to grab a bargain or two as shops dramatically reduce their prices for the occasion. <\/p>\n

Speaking on Martin Lewis Money Show Live earlier this week, Martin gave some words of wisdom in a bid to stop members of the public getting too caught up by the temptations that can come with such a huge sales event.<\/p>\n

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Instead of rushing to buy discounted items, he encouraged viewers to be mindful when purchasing products and to only buy items that they\u2019d have bought if it were full price.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big Black Friday message for you, I am gonna give you this, my Black Friday shopping memo. If you were going to buy it anyway, and it's half price, you've saved 50%,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you weren't going to buy it, but do it because it's half price, it's cost you 100%. So be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

The money-saving expert\u2019s advice comes afterhe issued a warning to all energy customers who pay by direct debit earlier this month. <\/p>\n

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Despite the energy price cap dropping, Martin,who is known for his money-saving tips and tricks, warned that many people's bills are still going up and encouraged them to take action. <\/p>\n

\u201cRates dropped on October 1, but many direct debits have still risen. So do an up-to-date metre reading, make sure you're not in any energy debt,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo online and use an 'is my direct debit correct' calculator where you put in your annual usage and it should tell you roughly what you should be paying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using this tool can allow you to figure out if you\u2019re paying too much for your energy usage and, if you are, Martin said that you can ask for a fairer direct debit under the energy company's licence conditions.<\/p>\n

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To do so, he encouraged people to get on the phone and ask if the company could justify why the direct debit has been set so high and to mention that a calculation shows that you shouldn\u2019t be paying as much as you are.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay 'can you justify why the direct debit is so high when I'm not using anywhere near that much, my calculation shows I shouldn't be paying that much and I would like you to lower it' and you come to an arrangement of where it should be lowered,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n