Opinions sought please - ideas for project....

gyzmo

This may sound a bit cheeky, but I need a bit of help! I am soon to start a project as part of my degree, and for it I would like to know what areas of consumer law or protection concerns people the most (I want it to reflect "real issues" and be relevant to people as opposed to some pie-in-the-sky idea that will affect just a few people).

Examples include (but not limited to!):

Misleading adverts / prices
Cold calling / doorstep selling / distance selling
Prewritten contracts
Sales staff on commission / pressure selling
Do you dread having to complain? do you walk away feeling that you have been ripped off?
Is information currently available too complicated / insufficient, or is there too much information that confuses you?
As a consumer, is there one particular aspect where you feel you need more information on your rights, or any areas where more enforcement is needed?

If possible, I may need to ask further questions from certain people depending on the circumstances. If you are willing to be contacted and willing to provide more information, please let me know by PM (all information is for academic purposes only and will be completely anonymous.).

Thanks for taking the time to read and for posting your views!

SaraSeahorse

the thing that concerns me most is warranties and life of goods, aftersale service - for example buying an item such as a washing machine and then people feeling pressured to having to buy extended warranties becuase the goods don't last and then you dont; seem to have much comeback (tired so not getting this right)

also problems with cars seems a big thing too - you don't have the same protection as when you buy a toaster it seems

stugib

gyzmo wrote:

I would like to know what areas of consumer law or protection concerns people the most

It's not a specific area as such, but I think it'd be interesting to look at how you could educate people to what their rights are in an easier-to-understand way.

Retailers rely on a huge amount of ignorance and misinformation to fob people off. Equally, people sometimes overestimate their rights and expect too much. Close that information gap somehow so there's less room for confrontation and retailers trying to get out of their responsibilities.

hollydays

Cab is available but there are are 2 problems.Firstly,I have found them virtually impossible to contact by phone,(constantly engaged),or the interminable wait if you have an appointment.Not very user friendly for people who work.They are a service whos staff give their time voluntarily,they work with pen and paper and book so their is not the facility to collate their complaints in the way this type of website can.They need seriously updating,and investing in.

dmg24

Lifetime of goods is definitely an interesting one, definitely an area that the law is quite vague.

Would be happy to help out if you need anything! x

mpython

Gyzmo, great idea. Hope the project goes well.

I'd like to nominate 2 areas.

New cars - they're overpriced to consumers (companies typically buy them 35% cheaper, sometimes 50%+) and the price should include all servicing, parts, labour for the guarantee period, which should now be a minimum of 5 years given how much they cost.

Confusion marketing - this might be what you've listed as misleading adverts, but it drives me potty that you can't easily compare mobile phone providers to each other, or shops advertising things as 50% cheaper when they were only a bit more expensive the week before (except in 1 store to get around the regulations), or credit cards & APR, the list goes on & on.....

Best of luck with the project.

yummymummy79

Being a consumer law advisor (and obviously a consumer myself!), I would say doorstep selling as there are so many horror stories about pensioners (and others as well) being duped out of thousands of pounds for the smallest amount of work. I personally think this is deplorable and wish there could be some instant action possible to catch these people at it and put them away for a long time.

Also, the amount of scams out there at the moment, email, phone, post etc. And it still surprises me that so many people are taken in by them especially as there has been an increase in publicity about them recently.

Obviously things like lifetime of goods are important as well as they happen more often and can involve quite a lot of money, and a lot of big stores do rely on people not knowing the law so they can consistently fob them off to the manufacturer.

I would hope that more people would be aware of Trading Standards/Consumer Direct to advise and/or help with all of these sorts of problems. The word is getting around slowly though!

spuds_2

I agree with Yummymummy - we are currently trying to get £1600 back from a company which got my 87 year old uncle to buy a "medical" mattress after cold-calling him. The law seems pretty toothless in dealing with these traders who prey on the vulnerable and it often comes down to their word against yours. Trading Standards are helping us now - but it took 10 days for them to ring back (chased up 3 times). The fines they do get if caught are fairly paltry and they just set up again under a different name.

furrypolka

Scams - definitely one area we receive a lot of complaints about but equally an area which is incredibly hard to regulate due to most of them originating from overseas and using PO Box addresses etc.

Yes there is also an issue with high pressure sales - this can be from several types of trader. 1. Traditional "cowboys" - tarmaccers, tree "surgeons", roofers etc. Unsolicited visits. "We've got tarmac left over" "You have a loose tile!" sort of approaches. 2. Established companies who sell in the customer's home, usually by appointment. Beds, chairs, solar energy, windows etc. 3. Energy companies trying to get people to switch suppliers (or mobile phone suppliers trying to sell contracts over the phone).

I can't really comment as a consumer as, although I am a consumer (obviously) I am not "your average" consumer in that I work for Trading Standards in civil intervention, and therefore know much more about my rights than the average person on the street.

gyzmo

Thanks people for all the replies so far - some of the areas posted are those I had in mind. The project is a couple of months away yet (and also needs clearing by lecturers), but the time needed to prepare means a couple of weeks wait before I decide on something (as 6 exams upcomming, a 4 week placement in summer and 5 assignments yet to be handed in as well as revision, seminars etc -I might get a chance to eat and sleep somewhere!).

Any other thoughts - let me know!