Consumer Rights and Disputes
If you have purchased a service or product from a business, they are obligated to ensure that these goods are fit for purpose or the services supplied comply with all trading standards regulations. As a consumer, you are protected under The Consumer Rights Act, which became law in 2015, and replaced three major pieces of consumer legislation – the Sale of Goods Act, Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations, and the Supply of goods and Services Act. The purpose of the updated Consumer Rights Act was to modernise and strengthen consumer law, whilst giving clearer shopping rights to the consumer.
Consumer Disputes
A consumer rights dispute can arise if a business fails to try and resolve a complaint regarding a product or service that was not of satisfactory quality or fit for purpose and as described or if an item purchased online is not delivered.
A consumer dispute can arise for a number of different reasons, some of the most common include:
- Dispute regarding faulty electrical goods
- Non-delivery of goods purchased online
- A purchase of a new motor vehicle that has a fault
- Non Completion or Poor quality work from tradesman (plumbers, builders, electricians etc.)
- Warranty disputes for products or services
- Insurance Claim or Coverage Disputes
If you are involved in a consumer dispute, you should get expert advice from a consumer rights solicitor who can review the case and assess the best possible cause of action, working with you to solve the dispute as quickly and as amicably as possible with any other party involved. Call our consumer rights team on 023 9244 8100 for further information and advice regarding a consumer dispute.
How Can You Enforce Your Rights as a Consumer?
All businesses should have a clear complaints policy, and in the first instance you should follow this if you believe that a service or product you have received was not as expected or for non-delivery of goods bought online. There may be several ways a business might choose to resolve the complaint, for example:
- Replacing the faulty goods
- Issue a refund
- Fix a fault – on a motor vehicle for example
- Improve on the service provided
If you have followed the complaints procedure but the business has ignored or refused to solve the issue, our expert consumer dispute solicitors can guide you through the various options available to you to resolve the dispute.
Consumer Dispute Solicitors
Our specialist consumer law team have the knowledge and expertise to assist you with a wide range of consumer disputes, and where possible we will work with you to resolve the dispute without the need to go to court, settling the claim amicably through alternative dispute resolution and negotiation. However, whilst we believe that it is better to avoid the cost of court proceedings if possible, we will always act in your best interests, and if dispute mediation is not the right course of action for you, or if amicable communication between you and the other party breaks down, we have an experienced civil litigation team who have the experience and skills to represent you in the courts.
We will always ensure that you are fully aware of any costs involved at all times and your solicitor will discuss these with you, along with any funding options that might be available. It is worth noting that if your claim is less than £10,000 in value, it is unlikely that you will recover your legal costs from the other side, even if you win your case.
We realise how stressful and frustrating a consumer dispute can be and the consumer rights solicitors at Larcomes are on hand to answer any questions you may have and set you on the right path to resolve your dispute. You can rely on our knowledge and expertise to find the right solution to resolve your consumer law matter.
Get in Touch
To speak with one of our specialist consumer law dispute team based in Portsmouth and Waterlooville, please telephone on 023 9244 8100.
We can also advise on all areas of civil litigation, commercial and residential property disputes and on behalf of both Landlords and Tenants.
To find out more about our expert consumer law team, you can click on the links below
