Consumer Rights- Citizenship

What Are Consumer Rights?

These are the rights protected by the Sale Of Goods Act 1979. In the 1980's the law was amended to include services.

When you buy any good or service, you are in fact making a contract (it is rearely written down). These are some of the basic laws covering such contracts.

In the next few cards are a collection of laws about Goods and Services which are all within the law.

Goods

(These three rights also apply to goods that you may hire, such as a bike or paddle boat.)

• The goods have to match the description given to them- e.g is a seller says a shirt is 100% cotton then it must be 100% cotton.
• The goods must be of a satisfactory quality They must do the job they were intended to. They should not have any defects and should be safe and last a reasonable time. However, the price you pay will affect the quality you are entitled to. Any goods marker 'shop soiled' or 'seconds' or 'rejects' will obviously not be perfect. You will have no comeback if the seller had pointed out that a product was not perfect in the first palce.
• The goods must be fit for their purpose For instance, wellington boots must not leak. Blue tak must be sticky.

Services

If you are paying for a service (such as a hairdresser, a plumber, a dry cleaner, a car wash) then you are entitled:

• To the competent performance of the ordinary skilled operator
• To expect the service to be carried out with reasonable care and skill and it must be done in a reasonable time for a reasonable price
• If goods/services are faulty:

- If the goods are faulty, the law says the shop has to give you your money back, but ONLY if you take the goods back within a week or two of buying them. If you put off going back, or the fault develops later, you may have to agree to a repair or replacement. Whatever happens, if they are faulty, you do not have to accept a credit not or voucher.

• If goods/services are faulty:

- If as a result of faulty goods or serivces, you are injured or your possessions are damaged, then you will also be entitled to a compensation for these losses. For example, if a new washing maching ruined your clothes because it was faulty then you can calim for all the damaged clothed.

• Other Important Points

- You do not need a receipt to claim your rights.  However you will need to prove that you brought your goods/serivces and a reciept is the easiest way to do so.

-  The law does not entitle you to do anything if you change your mind and decide you don't like the goods or because something doesn't fit you (Unless it was advertised as the wrong size). Many places will offer your money back, or vouchers, in these circumstances but chack that you can change goods or get refunds before you buy them.

- These laws do not protect you from buying items off individuals hrough private small ads or through friends They only cover you for buying from an official retailer.

• Other Important Points

- When purchasing a product you are making a contract with the retailer. The retailer is the one responsible for refunding or repairing the goods, not the manufacturer, evn if there is a manufacturers warrenty.

• These are basic laws concerning the sales of goods/services. People offering goods/services cannot get around these basic laws by putting up notices saying things such as ' the management do not accept responsibility for any damage', or 'we do not offer refunds'. If you were sold faulty goods or services (without being told they were faulty) then you are entitled to a repair or your money back.