CCPC writes to traders on legal obligations
The consumer-protection watchdog has written to almost 3,000 traders involved in home maintenance and improvement to remind them of their legal obligations under the .
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) says that the letter includes guidance for traders to help them better understand and meet their obligations to consumers in relation to service contracts.
The move follows almost 1,250 consumer contacts to the CCPC’s national consumer helpline in the first half of this year relating to the home building and improvements sector, making it the second-biggest call category.
‘Clear guidelines’
The top issues cited by consumers included:
- Traders refusing to resolve problems or unwilling to resolve them to the consumer’s satisfaction,
- Consumers waiting a long time for work to be started after agreeing a start date with the trader, and
- Traders not turning up when scheduled to fix an issue reported to them by the consumer.
CCPC member Patrick Kenny said that, while it was important that consumers knew their rights on service contracts, it was equally important that traders providing the service were aware of their responsibilities under the law.
“That’s why we’ve contacted various trade associations, and written to the sector directly, to remind them of their obligations and provided them with on their responsibilities and, in particular, what they have to do when things don’t go to plan,” he stated.
Remedies
“There is an onus on traders to ensure they follow all relevant legislation – failure to do so can result in enforcement action by the CCPC,” Kenny warned.
Under the 2022 act, traders must:
- Provide clear pre-contract information – including contact details and the total price (inclusive of VAT), or how the price will be calculated if it cannot be determined in advance,
- Deliver services that match what was agreed with the consumer and meet reasonable expectations for that type of service, and
- Offer remedies if the service does not meet contractual standards (bringing the service into conformity, providing a refund, or offering a price reduction).
The CCPC has also reminded traders that, under the , they must not:
- Provide false or misleading information about their service,
- Hide or withhold information about their service, or
- Harass or pressure consumers.