CMA acts to maintain trust in online reviews and endorsements
The Competition & Markets Authority has found that online reviews and endorsements are proving useful to consumers, but it has concerns that some practices may be unlawful. In a report published today it estimates that more than half of UK adults (54%) use online reviews, and that 6% use blogs or vlogs before making purchases. […]
Consumer Rights Act 2015 comes into force 1st October: Is your business ready?
Consumer Rights Act 2015 comes into force 1st October: Is your business ready? The Consumer Rights Act 2015 comes into force in less than six months, and its important businesses understand how their responsibilities and consumer rights have changed. The new legislation will replace a number of pieces of business-to-consumer legislation, including the Sale of […]
Does your website comply with the Companies Act?
Many firms don’t fully understand their obligations under the Companies Act and are potentially risking a fine. But the amendments businesses need to make to websites are simple and should only take just a few minutes… Registered UK companies must include certain regulatory information on their websites and within email footers. This has been a […]
Court dismisses claim due to illegible credit agreement
A badly written credit agreement has resulted in a claim by a debt collection company being thrown out. Hillesden Securities brought the action against Harry Moore at Oxford County Court after their demand for full repayment of a debt was not met. His Honour Judge Charles Harris QC found that Hillesden Securities had not fulfilled […]
Misleading and aggressive sales practices: New rights for consumers
The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 replaced many of the old consumer protection measures. The new legislation made it a criminal offence to use misleading or aggressive commercial practices. However, under the law consumers still had no right of redress against traders, and this has led to The Consumer Protection (Amendment) Regulations 2014 […]
Consumer Credit: FCA Approved Persons
What is an FCA Approved Person? Once you have completed your online FCA Authorisation Application you will then be prompted to submit an Approved Persons Application. You have to complete this additional application form. An ‘approved person’ is an individual who has been approved by the FCA to perform one or more controlled functions on […]
Are you up to date with recent changes to the Consumer Contracts Regulations…
The introduction of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 includes major changes in the law relating to consumer protection. They now apply to consumer contracts made on-premises (through retail stores), made at a distance (including online sales) and off-premises (e.g. in-home sales). Firms will need to review their processes and change […]
Looking for some practical assistance with your FCA Authorisation application?
What assistance with your FCA Authorisation is available? Direct from the FCA The FCA have published a number of guides to help with completing your online application. From this webpage you can find links to guidance notes and sample forms http://www.fca.org.uk/firms/firm-types/consumer-credit/authorisation. You can also telephone the FCA with your queries too, all contact information can be found […]
How to ensure your credit promotions are compliant…
What is a ‘promotion’? The term promotion covers a wide range of marketing and advertising. It includes websites, sales brochures, adverts in a magazines or newspapers, direct mail flyers – basically, it is anything seen, heard or read by customers that’s designed to influence or encourage them to reach a purchasing decision. You can’t rely […]
Mis-selling! Don’t be caught out by your advertising
There’s been a number of stories in the recent news about Green Deal providers and renewable energy companies that have fallen foul of advertising regulations. Mostly it’s because their claims for energy efficiency or financial savings haven’t been clear. Mis-selling can range from deliberately misleading advertising messages through to negligence and missing out key information […]