Consumer Rights were reinforced by the introduction of the Package Holiday Regulations, which imposes liability on the tour operator for any failure to suitably perform any aspect of the contract. This means the tour operator takes responsibility for flights, accommodation, transfers etc, even if it was not their fault directly. As the name suggests, these [...]
August 25th, 2008 | Catriona | 0 comments | ContinuedConsumer Rights
The Data Protection Act
People often talk about the Data Protection Act, but in reality few people know very much about it. It is a very powerful piece of legislation aimed at protecting consumers against the unlawful handling of their personal information, and one which provides rights and remedies if you suffer damage or distress as a result.
The responsibilities [...]
The Sale of Goods Act
The Sale of Goods Act 1979 is perhaps the most useful and relevant to the problems many consumers face when they make purchases on the High Street, online or by mail order. It is worth knowing about this piece of legislation, in terms of what rights you have and how you can resolve the situation, [...]
July 18th, 2008 | Catriona | 0 comments | Continued
Cooling off and Cancellations
Contracts are, by definition, legally binding, therefore it’s difficult to cancel without financial penalty unless you can prove breach of contract. In contracts for services, you have three fundamental statutory rights - that the supplier will do the job with reasonable care and skill, at reasonable cost and within reasonable time. Any failure to do [...]
July 8th, 2008 | Catriona | 0 comments | Continued
Excessive Mobile Roaming Charges - The Latest
A year after the European Commission stepped in to introduce the Eurotariff, limiting the cost of overseas (roaming) call charges for European consumers, T-Mobile have announced they are slashing the cost of mobile internet (data roaming) charges by 80% from £7.50 per megabyte to just £1.50. In addition, they are also set to reduce the [...]
July 8th, 2008 | Catriona | 2 comments | Continued
Who do I Sue?
Bear in mind that under the Consumer Protection Act you can only sue in the event of death, personal injury and damage to private property in excess of £275. You would not be able to sue for loss or damage to the product itself. Therefore if you were to buy a defective car, which then [...]
July 1st, 2008 | Catriona | 0 comments | Continued
Unsafe Products, Damages and Compensation
It was an absolute deathtrap!
The Sale of Goods Act provides protection against goods which are of poor quality. As we have mentioned, the definition of ‘quality’ takes into account fitness for purpose, appearance and finish, freedom from minor blemishes, durability and safety. If a product is unsafe, we must look to the Consumer Protection Act [...]
Doorstep selling - Your right to cancel
With any contract or sale which is concluded in this way, you must be sure you have been presented with clear written notice of your 7 day right to cancel, at or before the time the contract is made. If you have not, the contract is legally unenforceable. This notice, which cannot be in the [...]
June 30th, 2008 | Catriona | 0 comments | Continued
Is the visit unsolicited?
In order for the regulations to apply, you must be sure that the trader pays an unsolicited visit to your home or place of work, rather than through any request you might have made. If you have requested a visit for a particular product or service, and the trader sells you something else entirely, then [...]
June 30th, 2008 | Catriona | 0 comments | Continued
Doorstep selling
All householders can expect, at some point, to be greeted by a cold-caller trying to sell them stuff – whether this be cleaning products, encyclopaedias or home improvements. It can be difficult enough to tell them you’re not interested, and it can be more difficult still to ask them to leave once they are inside [...]
June 30th, 2008 | Catriona | 0 comments | Continued
