Through December and until after the first few days of the New Year, we have a lot of ground to negotiate. Here are some suggestions on how to avoid any legal snares along the way:
• Holiday parties. Holiday parties at the workplace are generally fun, but be careful. If alcohol is served and an employee has an accident on the way home, the company could be held responsible. Plus, alcohol dulls your judgment more than you realize. A number of sexual harassment charges by employees against their managers come from holiday parties where the effect of alcohol can lead you to do things you wouldn’t do otherwise. As someone once said, alcohol can make you think you are handsome, and invisible, too. But beyond the legalities, all employees have a right to be treated with respect. How would you want your daughter or son to be treated?
• Shopping. When is a sale a real deal? You need to ask. Most everything seems like it is on sale all the time. But generally a retailer will have a policy that allows you to return items for a credit or exchange, and sometimes a refund, although the law does not require it, even though many people think it does. Be sure to ask about the return policy. This is especially true if it is an end-of-season sale, which likely means no returns.
Hold onto your receipts. Take a small envelope with you when you shop and keep all of your receipts there so you can keep up with them.
When buying online, be sure you know the rules, and be careful. As in most dealings, the first and most important question is: do you know enough about the person with whom you are dealing?
Never buy a big-ticket item on impulse with your just-received paycheck or bonus money. Do your research, and take your time. It is amazing how much money you can save, and how much more certain of getting what you really want you’ll be if you take your time. And if you do sign on the dotted line and you have second thoughts, you likely do not have an out. Few purchases have a three day right of rescission that allows you to change your mind after you have slept on the decision.
• Traveling. When you’re driving on the highway to visit family, do not assume that the drivers around you are paying attention. They might not be. The best accident is the one you never have, regardless whether or not you are responsible. If you need to honk your horn when another driver appears to be distracted, do it. You may get a dirty look or a gesture that is, shall we say, not a gesture of endearment, but it really beats the alternative. Drive defensively.
Do tickets in another state count against you in North Carolina? Assume they do, but they may not. Check with your attorney before you pay it off. If the officer tells you can pay off your ticket and not appear in court that does not mean that the officer is telling you your license in North Carolina is not at risk, or that your insurance will not go up.
We all like a good party, but drinking and driving just do not mix. Park your pride and let your spouse, or a designated driver, drive home. Most alcohol-related accidents occur when the driver is only slightly impaired, but that split-second delay in judgment can mean the difference in life or death. Just don’t risk it.
Remember: An informed choice is a smart choice. Plus, Santa may be watching.
Mike Wells is an attorney with Wells Jenkins Lucas & Jenkins, PLLC, in Winston-Salem.
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