CONSUMER RIGHTS BILL BECOMES LAW

CONSUMER RIGHTS BILL BECOMES LAW

Consumers will have enhanced, easier to understand rights following Royal Assent for the Consumer Rights Act being given on 26 March 2015.

The Act is a major part of the government’s reform of UK consumer law and is predicted to boost the economy by £4 billion over the next decade by streamlining complicated law from 8 pieces of legislation into one place.

It will also introduce a range of new rights for consumers when it comes into force on 1 October 2015 including a 30-day time period to return faulty goods and replacement rights for faulty digital content.

Consumer Affairs Minister Jo Swinson said:

For too long consumers and businesses have struggled to understand the complicated rules that apply when buying goods and services. That is why the Consumer Rights Act is so important in setting out clear and updated consumer rights for goods, services and, for the first time, digital content.

Under the Act, consumers and businesses will have clearer rights and responsibilities to those introduced in June 2014 by the Consumer Contracts Regulations.

 These include:

• consumers having a clear right to demand that substandard services are redone or failing that receive a price reduction
• a 30-day time period to return faulty goods and get a full refund. The law is currently unclear on how long this period should last
• consumers being entitled to some money back after one failed repair of faulty goods (or one faulty replacement) even if more than 30 days have passed, rather than having to put up with repeated attempts to get a repair done
• consumers being able to challenge terms and conditions which are not fair or are hidden in the small print

Measures have also been included in the Act to specifically reduce the burdens of understanding and applying consumer law.

These include:

• a new requirement for enforcers such as Trading Standards Officers to give 48 hours’ notice to businesses when carrying out routine inspections, saving business £4.1 million per year. Trading Standards Officers will still be able to carry out unannounced inspections where they suspect illegal activity
• faster and lower cost remedies for businesses who have been disadvantaged from breaches in competition law

The GGF has been in regular communication with Government; briefing departments, Ministers and Lords, with concerns that the Bill as it stands, could have a negative effect on business. The main concern being, how the Act will introduce a “short term right to reject” of a default 30 days for consumers to reject faulty goods, rather than continuing with the current “reasonable period”. The GGF has expressed its concerns to Business, Skills and Innovation (BIS) that this will create problems for the domestic replacement glazing industry when consumers try to reject windows and doors which have been installed.

Though disappointed the suggested amendments never materialised, the GGF will continue to guide and inform both its Members and Consumers using the GGF’s Consumer Code of Good Practice.

The GGF has arranged for a presentation by Trading Standards on the likely effect of the new Act on our industry as part of the Window and Group / Conservatory Association meeting on the 30^th April at the Arden Hotel in Solihull, to which all Members are welcome. Further presentations by GGF staff around the Regions will then follow over the months up to October before implementation of the Act.

For more information on attending the above meetings, please email Bridie Joyce, Home Improvement Secretary, bjoyce@ggf.org.uk