Consumer protection in the United Kingdom is effected through a multiplicity of Acts of Parliament, statutory instruments, the work of various government agencies and departments, and citizens' lobby groups. It aims to ensure the market economy produces fairness and quality in the goods and services people buy. The main areas of regulating consumer affairs include:

  • fairer terms in contracts for goods and services, by declaring surprising and onerous terms as unfair
  • product safety regulation, to ensure people cannot purchase goods that are potentially harmful
  • financial regulation, to ensure access to credit is cheaper, and people fully understand the obligations they have when taking loans
  • stronger competition in the private sector, through breaking up cartels, dismantling monopolies, and unwinding some mergers

History

The Department of Prices and Consumer Protection was established in 1974. This was the first time a government department's title made reference to consumer protection.

In 2011 Consumer Minister Edward Davey announced plans within a policy document called Better Choices, Better Deals: Consumers Powering Growth to ensure that businesses would provide key information to their customers on how they use and buy goods and services, aiming to help consumers secure the best deals possible, and to make business more dynamic in response. The government considered this to offer "a radical new approach" to consumer empowerment.[1]

The Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority were both set up in 2013 and enforce many consumer laws and regulations in the United Kingdom across a variety of industries.

Consumer advocacy groups

The Enterprise Act 2002 allows consumer bodies that have been approved by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to be designated as "super-complainants" to the Office of Fair Trading. These super-complainants are intended to "strengthen the voice of consumers", who are "unlikely to have access individually to the kind of information necessary to judge whether markets are failing for them". Eight have been designated as of 2007:[2]

Fundraising - Charity fundraisers on the street or calling house-to-house are sometimes called 'chuggers' - a portmanteau of charity muggers. Some charity fundraisers have been shown to use intimidatory and aggressive tactics, violating rules set out by regulatory agencies.[3]

  • Public Fundraising Regulatory Association
  • Fund Raising Standards Board

Fair contract terms

Product safety

Finance and credit

Competition law

See also

References

  1. ↑ This article contains OGL licensed text This article incorporates text published under the British Open Government Licence: Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Better choices, better deals, published 13 April 2011, accessed 24 October 2023
  2. ↑ Super-Complaints - BERR Archived 2007-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "'Chuggers' tricks revealed in investigation". 23 June 2012. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012.
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