“The UK Government will appoint a Consumer Advocate with powers to sue on behalf of consumers, the rules for selling digital downloads will change and the law of misrepresentation will be simplified, according to plans published on Thursday.”
OUT-LAW.com, 6th July 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
“This consultation paper seeks views on the proposals to regulate damages based agreements, a type of no win no fee, which is commonly used in Employment Tribunals in England and Wales.”
Ministry of Justice, 1st July 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“The Government will today set out details of its plan to ban lenders from sending out unsolicited credit card cheques to consumers. The Government will today set out details of its plan to ban lenders from sending out unsolicited credit card cheques to consumers.”
The Independent, 2nd July 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“The Financial Services Authority’s proposed new rules for the retail investment industry will impose a complete ban on commission-based sales and require firms to tell customers from the outset whether or not their advice is independent and how much it will cost.”
OUT-LAW.com, 30th June 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
“Courts in the EU must examine and rule on terms in consumer contracts that may be unfair even if no consumer has complained about them, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has said. The duty will exist when a company seeks to enforce a consumer contract.”
OUT-LAW.com, 4th June 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
“Businesses as well as consumers have backed the UK Government’s attempts to retain shoppers’ right to return faulty goods for an immediate refund. A consultation has found that retailers as well as shoppers back the stance.”
OUT-LAW.com, 15th May 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
“In November 2008 the Law Commission published jointly with the Scottish Law Commission a consultation paper on consumer remedies for faulty goods. Appendix C (the European Consumer Centre Questionnaire) and Appendix D (the Comparative Section) to the consultation paper are also available. We published an executive summary and a press release. On 13 May 2009, we published a summaryof the 53 responses we received to the consultation. An overview and press release are also available.”
Law Commission, 14th May 2009
Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk
“The first signs of a fight-back against reforms that will enable supermarkets and other stores to offer customers legal services came yesterday with a ‘baked beans’ protest by solicitors.”
The Times, 12th May 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The Government plans to clarify and simplify consumers’ rights in a bid to encourage online shoppers to make more use of them. It will publish a plan in the summer for helping shoppers to understand and exercise their rights.”
OUT-LAW.com, 6th May 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
“Consumer protection body the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is allowed to use laws on unfair contracts to take action on existing as well as future contracts, the Court of Appeal has ruled.”
OUT-LAW.com, 6th April 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
“The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has upheld a complaint over the online advertising of two remedies, Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture and Duchy Herbals Hyperi-Lift Tincture, which are sold for £10 for 50ml in selected Boots and Waitrose stores.”
Daily Telegraph, 23rd March 2009
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
“Energy companies will be banned from charging ‘unjustified’ prices under new rules proposed by the regulator Ofgem.”
BBC News, 23rd March 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Office of Fair Trading v Abbey National plc and Others
Court of Appeal
“The Office of Fair Trading was entitled to assess the fairness of charges levied on customers by banks because the terms in standard form contracts between banks and their customers concerning specific charges when customers were overdrawn were not part of the core bargain between the customer and the bank.”
The Times, 3rd March 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 from the date of publication.
“New criminal investigation powers granted to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) by consumer protection laws have been used for the first time. The OFT has conducted raids while investigating a suspected scam in Bristol.”
OUT-LAW.com, 26th February 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
Office of Fair Trading v Abbey National plc and others [2009] EWCA Civ 116; [2009] WLR (D) 69
“Terms in standard form contracts between bank and customer providing for relevant charges when a customer gave instructions for payment but had insufficient funds in his current account were not exempt from assessment as to fairness under reg 6(2) of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.”
WLR Daily, 27th February 2009
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.
“An end to hefty bank charges for unauthorised overdrafts moved closer yesterday with a Court of Appeal ruling that the Office of Fair Trading can decide if such charges are fair. But the decision that fees levied on personal current account customers can be regulated could also herald the end of free banking.”
The Times, 27th February 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
“The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is investigating 16 sale-and-rent-back firms amid concerns their advertisements could be misleading homeowners desperate to avoid being repossessed.”
The Guardian, 30th January 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Mobile phone content providers who charge more that £4.50 a week for their services must seek the permission of premium-rate regulator PhonepayPlus to operate, under new rules which take immediate effect.”
OUT-LAW.com, 26th January 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
“The European Parliament has called for a change to the way the UK has implemented consumer protection laws to allow cheated customers to take direct action against businesses.”
OUT-LAW.com, 22nd January 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
“Energy industry regulator, Ofgem, this morning stepped up the pressure on Britain’s big six energy suppliers over unfair pricing. The regulator acknowledged the companies were on the way to stripping out up to £500m in unfair premiums for customers such as those using pre-payment meters, including many disadvantaged households, but said it wanted faster action. Today it announced that it is launching a consultation process to look at changes to the energy companies’s licences to ban unfair pricing and protect consumers.”
The Guardian, 16th December 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
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