Consumer Rights Act 2015 comes into force on 1st October
Consumers will have new rights from 1 October 2015 to deal with faulty/not as described goods and services. For most retailers this means you will need to review existing complaints handling procedures and ensure your customer service people are aware of and understand the legislation changes.
You can read the legislation in full here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/contents/enacted
According to the Citizens Advice Bureau, “The updated rights will help consumers and businesses to avoid disagreements. But when a problem does occur, changes are also being brought in to make disputes easier to settle. Alternative Dispute Resolution, for example through an Ombudsman, can offer a quicker and cheaper way of resolving disputes than going through the Courts.”
In October, when the Consumer Rights Act comes into force, it will cover:
- What should happen when goods are faulty
- How services should match up to what has been agreed, and what should happen when they do not, or when they are not provided with reasonable care and skill
- Unfair terms in a contract
- What happens when a business is acting in a way which isn’t competitive
- Written notice for routine inspections by public enforcers, such as Trading Standards
- Greater flexibility for public enforcers, such as Trading Standards, to respond to breaches of consumer law, such as seeking redress for consumers who have suffered harm
Most of the above are amendments to existing legislation, however the new Act also introduces additional rules. Of particular relevance to HIMP retailers, it sets out what should happen if a service is not provided with reasonable care and skill or as agreed.
Read the CAB article in full https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/how-citizens-advice-works/citizens-advice-consumer-work/the-consumer-rights-act-2015/