Consumer Protection in United Kingdom
Definition of Consumer Protection
In accordance with the work A Dictionary of Law, this is a description of Consumer Protection : The protection, especially by legal means, of consumers (those who contract otherwise than in the course of a business to obtain goods or services from those who supply them in the course of a business). It is the policy of current legislation to protect consumers against unfair contract terms. In particular they are protected against terms that attempt to exclude or restrict the seller’s implied undertakings that he has a right to sell the goods, that the goods conform with either description or sample, and that they are of satisfactory quality and fit for their particular purpose (Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977). EU directive 93/13 renders unfair terms in consumer contracts void; it is implemented in the UK by the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999. The Office of Fair Trading runs a special unfair terms unit, which investigates cases in this field. There is also provision for the banning of unfair *consumer trade practices (Fair Trading Act 1973). Consumers (including individual businessmen) are also protected when obtaining credit (Consumer Credit Act 1974) and there is provision for the imposition of standards relating to the safety of goods under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 and the General Product Safety Regulations 1994. There are, in addition, many legislative measures that are product-specific, such as toy safety regulations. For tort liability under the Consumer Protection Act, See products liability.
Resources
See Also
Further Reading
ARNOKOUROUS, G. I.,“The transposition of the Consumer Sales Directive into the Greek legal system”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 259 y ss.
BEALE, H./HOWELLS, G., “EC Harmonisation of Consumer Sales Law – A missed opportunity?”, Journal of Contract Law, 1997, n.º 12, pp. 21 y ss.
BIRD, T. C., “Directive 99/44/EC on Certain Aspects of the Sale of Consumer Goods and Associated Guarantees: Its Impact on Existing Irish Sale of Goods Law”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 279 y ss.
BRADGATE, R., “Harmonisation of Legal Guarantees: A Common Law Perspective”, Cons.L.J., 1995, pp. 94 y ss.
BRADGATE, R., “Consumer Guarantees: the EC´s draft Directive”, Web Journal of Current Legal Issues (https://webjcli.ncl.ac.uk), 1997-1.
BRADGATE, R./ TWIGG-FLESNER, C., Consumer Sales and Associated Guarantees, Blackstone, 2004.
CRANSTON, R., “The Green Paper on Guarantees”, Cons.L.J., 1995, pp. 100 y ss.
DEARS, E., “The Proposed Guarantees Directiva: Is is Fir for the Purpose?”, JConsP, 1998, pp. 99 y ss.
DICKE, J., “A Step Closer to European Sale of Goods Law? Commission Draft Directive on the Sale of Consumer Goods”, Journal of Business Law, 1997, pp. 167 y ss.
HOGG, M., “Scottish law and the European Consumer Sales Directive”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 337 y ss.
GRUNDMANN/D. MEDICUS/W. ROLLAND, “Towards a European Sales Law — Legal Challenges Posed by the Directive on the Sale of Consumer Goods and Associated Guarantees”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 157 y ss.
HONDIUS, E.,/SCHELHAAS, H., “In Conformity with the Consumer Sales Directive? Some Remarks on Transposition into Dutch Law”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 327 y ss.
HOWELLS, G./TWIGG-FLESNER, C., “Much ado about nothing?”, en M. SCHERMAIER (Coord.), Verbraucherkauf in Europa. Altes Gewährleistungsrecht und die Umsetzung der Richtlinie 1999/44/CE, München, Sellier, 2003, pp. 303 y ss.
JACQUOT, F., “The legal guarantee under French law. A comparison with the E. C. Green Paper”, Cons.L.J., 1995, pp. 138 y ss.
JELOSCHEK, “The Transposition of Directive 99/44/EC into Austrian Law”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 163 y ss.
JONGENEEL, R. H. C.,“The sale of goods in the Netherlands Civil Code: A contribution to the discussion about the Green Paper on guarantees for consumer goods and after-sales services”, Cons.L.J., 1995, pp. 143 y ss.
KRUISINGA, S. A., “What do Consumer and Commercial Sales Law Have in Common? A Comparison of the EC Directive on Consumer Sales Law and the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 177 y ss.
LETE ACHIRICA, J., “The Impact on Spanish Contract Law of the EC Directive on the Sale of Consumer Goods and Associated Guarantees”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 351 y ss.
SCHNYDER/EINHORN/GIRSBERGER (Coord.), Private Law in the International Arena – From National Conflict Rules Towards Harmonistation and Unification – Liber Amicorum Kurt Siehr, 2000, pp. 429 y ss.
PARISI, F., “The Harmonization of Legal Warranties in European Sales Law: An Economic Analysis”, George Mason University, School of Law, Law and Economics Working Paper Series, 01-20.
SCOTTON, M., “Directive 99/44/EC on Certain Aspects of the Sale of Consumer Goods and Associated Guarantees”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 297 y ss.
SEFTON-FREEN, R., “The implementation of the directive on guarantees in France”, en M. SCHERMAIER (Coord.), Verbraucherkauf in Europa. Altes Gewährleistungsrecht und die Umsetzung der Richtlinie 1999/44/EG, München, Sellier, 2003, pp. 225 y ss.
SIVELAND, H., “Sweden- Delayed Reforms Due to the Consumer Sales Directive?”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 259 y ss.
SPINDLER/KLÖHN, “Neue Qualifikationsprobleme im E-Commerce – Verträge über die Verschaffung digitalisierter Informationen als Kaufvertrag, Werkvertrag, Verbrauchsgüterkauf?”, CR, 2003, pp. 81 y ss.
STAUDENMAYER, D., “The Directive on the Sale of Consumer Goods and Associated Guarantees — A Milestone in the European Consumer and Private Law”, ERPL, 2000, n.º 4, pp. 547 y ss.
TWIGG-FLESNER, C., “The E.C. Directive on Certain Aspects of the Sale of Consumer Goods and Associated Guarantees”, Cons.L.J., 1999, pp. 185 y ss.
TWIGG-FLESNER, C., “New Rules for Guarantees: for better or worse?”, Consumer Policy Review, 2000, n.º 10, pp. 100 y ss.
TWIGG-FLESNER, C., “The EC Consumer Sales Directiva: A Los Still To Do”, Canterbury Law Review, 2001, n.º 8, pp. 113 y ss.
TWIGG-FLESNER, C., “English Sales lay after the implementation of directive 99/44/EC on consumer sales. Back to the drawing board?”, EWS, 2003, n.º 11, pp. 12 y ss.
TWIGG-FLESNER, C., Consumer Product Guarantees, Hants, Ashgate, 2003. VAQUER ALOY, A., “Incumplimiento del contrato y remedios”, en S. CÁMARA LAPUENTE (Coord), Derecho Privado Europeo, Madrid, Colex, 2003, pp. 525 y ss.
WATTERSON, “Consumer Sales Directive 1999/44/EC and the impact on English law, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 197 y ss.
ZOLLERS, F. E./HURD, S. N./SHEARS, P., “Consumer Protection in the European Union: An Analysis of the Directive on the Sale of Consumer Goods and Associated Guarantees”, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Internacional Economic Law, 1999, pp. 97 y ss.
BRUUN NIELSEN, “Directive 1999/44/EC of the European Parliament and the Council on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees ans its influence on Danish law”, ERPL, 2001, n.º 2-3, pp. 189 y ss.
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