Business
Greater protection from rogue traders
2nd May 2008
CONSUMERS will get greater protection from rogue traders with the introduction of new regulations.
According to a Department for Business survey consumers want a crackdown on misleading, aggressive and unfair sales practices.
Pushy salesmen who refuse to leave customers alone will be targeted.
The Government is proposing new laws to stop these practices.
If they are approved by parliament, the Consumer Protection Regulations (CPRs) will come into force on May 26.
Consumer affairs minister Gareth Thomas said: “Consumers have the right to be treated honestly and fairly whether shopping on the high street, at home, through a catalogue or online.
“Life is going to get tougher for the small minority of rogue traders who treat customers with contempt, pressuring, bullying or lying their way into making a sale.
“These practices will not be tolerated.”
The new regulations will ban 31 types of unfair sales practices outright including bogus closing down sales, prize draw scams, aggressive doorstep selling, offering free gifts that are not really free and displaying false identification.
Trading standards officers and the Office of Fair Trading will enforce the new law and will be able to use a wide range of sanctions against businesses which break the rules.
Rogue traders face unlimited fines or prison sentences if they break the law.
The chairman of the Trading Standards South East Partnership Peter Denard said: “The new regulations will put a stop to aggressive selling techniques and misleading people about products and services.
“This can only be good news for local consumers.”
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