All change for Businesses that sell to Consumers?

All change for Businesses that sell to Consumers?

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Does your business sell to consumers (i.e. those ordinary folk who buy goods, services or digital content for themselves and not behalf of the company that they work for)?

If it does, then 01 October 2015 will see the coming into force of the new Consumer Rights Act 2015.

 This is one of the most  significant pieces of legislation which is intended to make dealing with consumer contracts a much clearer and simper exercise for businesses, traders and consumers alike.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is to consumer law, what the Employment Rights Act 1996 was to employment law nearly 20 years ago…yes, it really is 20 years!

At present, Consumer law is made up of over 100 separate pieces of legislation in this country and can be almost impossible to follow. The Consumer Rights Act pulls much of this legislation together and places it into a single, modern Act that covers the sale of goods, services and digital content (things such as ‘apps’ as we know them!). Unfair contract terms are also brought into the Act along with a number of other provisions.

While many of the Consumer Rights Act’s provisions remain largely unchanged from their original sources of legislation, there are also important new provisions, such as those governing:

  • consumer rights and digital content,
  • remedies for sub-standard services, and
  • unfair contract terms.

Whilst the clocks going back, dark nights and Halloween seem an eternity away, there’s only 6 weeks before October is here. So that’s more than enough time to dust down those contracts and terms of business to make sure that your business is “Consumer Proof”.

If you want to discuss how this affects your business, if you would like Sherbornes to review or “Consumer Proof” your terms and conditions, or maybe you’re thinking that this would be a good time to create a set of terms of trade for your business, then give us a call on 01242 250039.

Link to the Act: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/contents/enacted

 

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