Silent calls face threat of £2m fine, says Ofcom – BBC News
“Companies that use automated telephone calls that leave householders hearing nothing can now be fined up to £2m.”
BBC News, 1st February 2011
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: consumer protection
Banks launch PPI challenge in high court – The Guardian
“High street banks will launch a high court challenge today against rules controlling their handling of complaints about payment protection insurance (PPI).”
The Guardian, 25th January 2011
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Blog network promises to label promotional content after OFT investigation – OUT-LAW.com
“Consumer protection watchdog the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has forced a network of bloggers to make it clear when companies are paying it for coverage. The OFT investigated Handpicked Media under consumer protection laws.”
OUT-LAW.com, 14th December 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
OFT backs replacement of criminal penalties with civil ones – OUT-LAW.com
“Competition law and consumer watchdog the Office of Fair Trading has welcomed a legal reform proposal that would reduce its reliance on criminal law but has said that proposal should be less rigid to allow it to protect consumers.”
OUT-LAW.com, 25th Novmber 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Ofcom launches second TalkTalk investigation – The Guardian
“Inquiry follows claims company mis-sold phone service and switched some internet users to its service without their consent”
The Guardian, 23rd November 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Bar Conference lecture: The tyranny of the consumer or the rule of law – Speech by Lord Neuberger
The tyranny of the consumer or the rule of law (PDF)
Speech by Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, Master of the Rolls
25th Annual Bar Conference, 6th November 2010
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
Thames Water pays £60k compensation after email blunder – Daily Telegraph
“Thames Water has agreed to pay £60,000 in compensation to customers after it admitted ignoring thousands of complaints following an email blunder.”
Daily Telegraph, 29th October 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Consumer laws undermined by gaps and complexity, say Law commissions – OUT-LAW.com
“Consumers face many situations in which a trader has broken unfair trading regulations but they have no direct course of action, the Law Commission and Law Commission of Scotland have said. Laws that could cover consumers are too complex, they said.”
OUT-LAW.com, 25th October 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
Debt management firms warned of closure by OFT – The Guardian
“More than 100 companies could lose their licence unless they comply with OFT rules after the watchdog discovered misleading advertising and poor advice were rife.”
The Guardian, 28th September 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Sainsbury’s taken to court over excess packaging – Daily Telegraph
“Sainsbury’s is to be taken to court for using too much packaging, the first time that a major retailer has been prosecuted under obscure environmental laws.”
Daily Telegraph, 16th September 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Surrey rogue trader jailed for defrauding elderly – BBC News
“A rogue trader has been jailed for more than five years in what is thought to be the longest term handed out for a trading standards prosecution.”
BBC News, 14th September 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
A fake eBay bidder in County Durham must pay £5,000 – BBC news
“The first eBay seller to be prosecuted for bidding in his own auctions to boost prices has been ordered to pay nearly £5,000 in fines and costs.”
BBC News, 5th July 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
O’Byrne v Aventis Pasteur MSD Ltd – WLR Daily
O’Byrne v Aventis Pasteur MSD Ltd [2010] UKSC 23; [2010] WLR (D) 137
“In a claim under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 based on the rights conferred under Council Directive 85/374/EEC concerning liability for defective products, which by art 11 required proceedings to be brought against the producer within ten years of the product being put into circulation, domestic law could not allow the producer to be substituted as the defendant outside that period in place of a wholly-owned subsidiary (who was the supplier but had been erroneously thought to be the producer) unless the parent company had actually determined when the supplier put the product in circulation.”
WLR Daily, 27th May 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
O’Byrne v Aventis Pasteur MSD Ltd – WLR Daily
O’Byrne v Aventis Pasteur MSD Ltd [2010] UKSC 23; [2010] WLR (D) 137
“In a claim under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 based on the rights conferred under Council Directive 85/374/EEC concerning liability for defective products, which by art 11 required proceedings to be brought against the producer within ten years of the product being put into circulation, domestic law could not allow the producer to be substituted as the defendant outside that period in place of a wholly-owned subsidiary (who was the supplier but had been erroneously thought to be the producer) unless the parent company had actually determined when the supplier put the product in circulation.”
WLR Daily, 27th May 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Competition Commission confirms ban on point-of-sale PPI – The Guardian
“Watchdog rejects appeal, saying ruling will bring more choice and cheaper rates to payment protection insurance market.”
The Guardian, 14th May 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Man fined £26k over fake computer games – BBC News
“A man who sold fake computer games over the internet has been ordered to pay £26,405 following a proceeds of crime investigation.”
BBC News, 12th May 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Shops ordered to pay £20m over ‘toxic sofas’ – BBC News
“A number of High Street chains has been ordered to pay up to £20m ($31m) to 2,000 people who received chemical burns from sofas.”
BBC News, 26th April 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Fish fraud in Cotswolds lands chippy with fine – BBC News
“A fish and chip shop owner has been fined after his business passed a cheaper fish off as cod.”
BBC News, 22nd April 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Law Commissions consult on creating new consumer right – OUT-LAW.com
“The Law Commission and Scottish Law Commission are reviewing whether or not consumers should be able to take direct action against retailers who treat them unfairly. It has asked consumers and businesses if the action would be too severe.”
OUT-LAW.com, 12th April 2010
Source: www.out-law.com
