Plan to ban refunds on faulty goods
* Lisa Bachelor, consumer affairs correspondent
* guardian.co.
* The Observer, Sunday November 16 2008
British shoppers could lose their right to a refund on faulty goods if
plans by the European Union get the go-ahead.
Consumers can now choose to reject faulty goods, or goods that are not
the same as they agreed to buy, and get a refund. But the European
Commission wants to water down these rights to harmonise the law - most
EU countries only give the choice of a replacement or a repair.
While the Law Commissions and consumer watchdog Which? agree that the
law should be harmonised, they have said that UK shoppers should not be
left worse off. The Law Commission of England and Wales has launched a
consultation on the issue and wants input from shoppers. 'We believe
that retaining the right to reject is crucial for consumer confidence,
and our research shows that consumers want this,' said David Hertzell,
the commissioner leading the project.
The commission has suggested tweaking existing law to include making
shoppers claim a refund within 30 days of purchase. At present there is
no limit, but in practice this is at the retailer's discretion.
Chris Warner, spokesperson for Which?, said: 'If the law needs to be
changed it should be done without reducing existing protection for UK
consumers.'
http://www.guardian
--
Sunday, 16 November 2008
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