Record PPI fine for Lloyds knocks 12% off Horta-Osório’s bonus – The Guardian

‘Lloyds Banking Group has docked £350,000 from the bonus of its boss António Horta-Osório after being hit with a £117m fine for unacceptable handling of compensation claims for payment protection insurance.’

Full story

The Guardian, 5th June 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Banks face bigger PPI mis-selling bill as regulator considers compensation rules – The Guardian

‘Banks could face a bigger bill for mis-selling payment protection insurance after the City regulator said it was considering new rules on how customers should be compensated.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th May 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Tell us your experience of the legal services regulators – Legal Services Board

‘The Legal Services Board (LSB) is launching a survey today inviting views from anybody and any firm that has been in contact with one of the eight legal services regulators in England and Wales.’

Full press release

Legal Services Board, 14th May 2015

Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk

ParkingEye drives home a penalty – charge for a breach of contract allowed – Technology Law Update

Posted April 29th, 2015 in appeals, consumer protection, contracts, fines, news, parking by sally

‘A dispute over a parking fine has received a lot of press attention from the angle of the aggrieved motorist standing up to big business. But there are wider implications. The recent Court of Appeal decision in ParkingEye v Beavis demonstrates a more flexible approach to penalty clauses in contracts, and illustrates how the unfairness rules will be applied to penalty charges in consumer-facing contracts (EULAs, e-commerce terms etc).’

Full story

Technology Law Update, 28th April 2015

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Consumer group begins ‘super-complaint’ over allegedly ‘misleading and opaque’ supermarket pricing practices – OUT-LAW.com

Posted April 22nd, 2015 in consumer protection, food, news, regulations, sale of goods by sally

‘The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will investigate alleged “misleading and opaque pricing practices” by supermarkets in response to a ‘super-complaint’ brought by consumer group Which?, it has announced.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 21st April 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

“Cold Calling” company fined £75K for breach of privacy – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted April 20th, 2015 in advertising, complaints, consumer protection, EC law, fines, news, privacy, tribunals by sally

‘Although an individual’s right to privacy is usually thought of in the context of state intrusion in one form or another, in reality the real threat of intrusion in a society such as ours comes from unsolicited marketing calls.’

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 17th April 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

ASA rejects personal injury advert complaint because consumers ‘now understand how claims work’ – Legal Futures

‘The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected a complaint against a west country personal injury law firm, saying that consumers now have “a general awareness that to have a valid claim there would have to be some degree of fault or negligence by a third party”.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 8th April 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

More fines for unsolicited calls or texts likely, says ICO, as new rules come into force – OUT-LAW.com

‘Changes to the rules governing when the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can fine companies for making unsolicited telephone calls or sending unsolicited text messages will help the UK’s privacy watchdog to “make more fines stick”, it has said.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 7th April 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Tobacco display ban extended to all shops – BBC News

Posted April 7th, 2015 in advertising, consumer protection, news, small businesses, smoking by sally

‘A ban on showing tobacco products at the point of sale in small shops across the UK has come into force.’

Full story

BBC News, 6th April 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Consumer Rights Act 2015 – legislation.gov.uk

Posted April 2nd, 2015 in consumer protection, legislation by sally

Consumer Rights Act 2015 published

Full text of Act

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Pensions, pensions, and yet more pensions in the FCA’s business plan – RPC Financial Services Blog

Posted April 1st, 2015 in budgets, consumer protection, elderly, news, pensions, retirement by sally

‘The FCA has published its Business Plan for 2015/2016. One of the key themes for both regulation and risk is the pensions market given the pension reforms taking place on 6 April. The Business Plan highlights the fact that the pensions market is a key area of concern for the FCA and an area which it will be monitoring closely in the next year and beyond.’

Full story

RPC Financial Services Blog, 27th March 2015

Source: www.rpc.co.uk

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 – how it will impact suppliers of digital content – Technology Law Update

Posted April 1st, 2015 in computer programs, consumer protection, news, repairs by sally

‘In the last few days before campaigning for May’s election started, the UK Consumer Rights Act finally made it through the parliamentary process and became law. Most of the CRA will take effect in October 2015, although this date needs rubber-stamping by parliament.’

Full story

Technology Law Update, 31st March 2015

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Bupa ad banned for implying private care is better for surviving cancer – The Guardian

‘An ad for Bupa has been banned for implying that cancer patients who receive private healthcare have a higher chance of survival.’

Full story

The Guardian, 1st April 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Google loses UK appeal court battle over ‘clandestine’ tracking – The Guardian

Posted March 30th, 2015 in appeals, consumer protection, damages, data protection, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘Google has failed in its attempt in the court of appeal to prevent British consumers having the right to sue the internet firm in the UK.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

FCA plans to ban ‘opt-out’ sales of add-on insurance products –

Posted March 27th, 2015 in consumer protection, financial regulation, insurance, internet by sally

‘UK financial services firms will be banned from using pre-ticked boxes and other methods to sell customers additional ‘add-on’ products when they are purchasing regulated financial products under plans published by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 26th March 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Do not-so smart pension reforms mean FCA wants pensioners to be ScamSmart? – RPC Financial Services Blog

Posted March 26th, 2015 in consumer protection, financial regulation, news, pensions by sally

‘Less than two weeks after Martin Wheatley’s speech identifying April’s ‘big bang’ pension reforms as “[t]he defining challenge of our time”, the FCA has launched a website called ‘ScamSmart’ dedicated to helping retail investors identify fraudulent investment scams. Martin Wheatley’s keynote speech and the launch of the ScamSmart website indicate the level of concern in the FCA about the impact of the reforms on UK pensioners. The strength of these concerns is confirmed in today’s Business Plan which includes plans for the FCA to carry out a thematic review (with, presumably, intense supervisory and enforcement work to follow) into the suitability of pensions and retail investment advice.’

Full story

RPC Financial Services Blog, 24th March 2015

Source: www.rpc.co.uk

Airlines face court threat over customer services – BBC News

Posted March 24th, 2015 in airlines, compensation, consumer protection, delay, news by sally

‘Three airlines are facing legal action over complaints about how they handle passengers hit by flight disruptions.’

Full story

BBC News, 21st March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

No evidence of regulatory risks from online divorce, research finds – Legal Futures

‘There is no evidence of online divorce leading to regulatory risks, joint research by the Legal Services Board (LSB) and Legal Services Consumer Panel has concluded.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 19th March 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

CMA says UK energy market needs better regulation and more customer switching – Zenith Chambers

Posted March 23rd, 2015 in competition, consumer protection, energy, news by sally

‘The CMA’s updated issues statement on its energy market investigation has been hailed as a ‘win’ for the energy companies, while suggesting that a lack of competition could be due to poor regulation and customer apathy. A closer look at the CMA’s initial findings suggests a more nuanced view.’

Full story (PDF)

Zenith Chambers, 26th February 2015

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

Proof of defect under the CPA 1987: Hufford v Samsung Electronics – Henderson Chambers

Posted March 17th, 2015 in consumer protection, defective goods, evidence, news by sally

‘To what extent must a claimant relying on the Consumer Protection Act 1987 (“the Act”) prove with precision the nature of a defect in a product said to have caused him or her damage?’

Full story (PDF)

Henderson Chambers, 9th January 2015

Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk