Consumer Law in United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Consumer Law in United Kingdom - Essay Example The paper tells that very many companies today use awkward tactics to make sales. These range from closing down sales that they let to run for as long as possible, to the special offers that do not really exist. Nonetheless, some of the offers they usually make are quite genuine. However, the way the sales are made to the customers usually leaves the customers perplexed and wondering what the salespersons are aiming. A sales man or woman may stay for very long, up to hours waiting for a customer or client to make a subscription and then go ahead to tell the customer that his or her income depends on the client paying up. No sound for alarm, though, because ever since 26th may 2008, laws have been put in place with the aim of militating against such practices. Consumer protection from unfair trading regulations 2008 (CPRs) have made it possible for the protection of consumers from exploitation, and unfair treatment through misleading omissions, misleading actions, or other aggressive practices that businesspersons engage in. Misleading actions according to the consumer protection regulations are such practices such as marketing or advertising goods that do not really exist in the first place. Businesspersons also offer also usually make advertisements of items that they do not really have enough of in their stock. This means they create excess demand for the little goods they have in their stock. This practice of advertising a commodity with no aim of meeting its demand is a misleading action on the part of the traders and sales persons. The consumer protection regulations also prohibit traders from lying about the goods they have, or marketing them to consumers as another product, in order to gain credibility. In any case, a trader has signed a code of practice, he or she should stand by it and obey it to the later, failing to do so; failing to follow the code of practice may result for charges on the grounds of breach of the Consumer Protection regulations (Wo odroffe 82). Misleading omissions on the other hand, applies to the act of traders being very economical with the truth about their products, or deliberately leaving out information that customers need in order to make decisions that are well informed. Under these consumer protection regulations, it is the responsibility of the traders to make sure information about the products they sell reaches the consumers and customers at the right time. Timeliness is important in business. This ensures that information gets to consumers when they really need it; and not very late, that they can no longer use the information (Sealy 54). The aggressive practices are the sales tactics that really influence the process of decision making of consumers and customers in general. ThiAQAs means that the traders who ‘force customers’ to make decisions through threatening behavior, and do not give consumers breathing space, will be, under the regulations of consumer protection, committing an offence. In practicing these consumer protection regulations on traders, it is not just enough to demonstrate the deed. The accuser has to show that the consumer’s decision was indeed, influenced by the practice the trader is guilty of doing. The new rules set out by the United Kingdom to govern consumer protection against traders who are rogue came into effect in 2008. For the first time in the history of the United Kingdom, traders will not be allowed to trade unfairly to their customers. This does not mean that they will be restricted from making their own profits as they would; they are only required to follow the guidelines stipulated by the consumer