Regulation and consumer policy Consumer policy
- Empowering and Protecting Consumers - Which? Response (PDF: 220Kb)
04 October 2011Which?'s response to the BIS consultation Empowering and Protecting Consumers that addresses reform of enforcement for national consumer protection law, advocacy in utility industries through the regulated industries unit, and the roles for Citizens Advice and others once Consumer Focus is abolished.
- A Model Ombudsman System - Which? Briefing (PDF: 531Kb)
30 September 2011Which? argued that Redress Schemes should be cheap, fast, simple and accessible. Alternative Dispute Resolution schemes such as ombudsmen have many advantages over court action. The right to redress is a fundamental consumer principle.
- Rip-off surcharges - Which? Briefing (PDF: 520Kb)
15 September 2011Which? wants the Treasury to change existing UK law, the Payment Services Regulations (PSR), to ban debit card surcharges for good. This briefing explains why changing the PSR is the quickest, cheapest and most effective way of tackling this important consumer issue.
- Consultation on direct access to the Parliamentary Ombudsman - Which? Response (PDF: 76Kb)
25 August 2011In a response to the Parliamentary Ombudsman's June 2011 consultation on removing the MP filter, Which? strongly supports direct consumer access. Which? believes consumer empowerment will be enhanced by letting people decide if they want to submit their complaint via their MP or directly themselves.
- BIS consultation on competition regime - Which? Response (PDF: 339Kb)
13 June 2011Which? emphasized that an effective competition regime must include consumer enforcement powers and that the government must be certain it does not lose the strengths of the current system in the merger of the Office of Fair Trading and Competition Commission.
- BIS repeal of Property Misdescriptions Act - Which? Response (PDF: 110Kb)
05 April 2011In this response to BIS, Which? sets out why it opposes the repeal of the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991. The response argues that BIS has not made the case for repeal; in particular that the Consumer Protection Regulations may not be as good a substitute and that the estimated cost savings to business and government are unconvincing.
- Improving consumer protection and confidence in e-commerce - Which? Response (PDF: 88Kb)
08 October 2010Which? argues that issues for consumers online include a lack of awareness of rights and redress mechanisms, a lack of enforcement, the lack of legal protection, worries over security and privacy, and problems with delivery and returns.
- Consumer Rights Directive: Allowing contingent or ancillary charges to be assessed for unfairness - Which? Response (PDF: 120Kb)
24 August 2010Which? agreed with the Government that certain prices or charges should be subject to a test for fairness, but proposed that an objective and principles based approach was adopted that made a distinction between headline or single prices and other forms of charges.
- The pilot operation of civil sanction powers for consumer law enforcers - Which? Response (PDF: 1588Kb)
28 May 2010Which? welcomed the piloting of the civil sanctions powers for consumer enforcement but argued that the pilot needed to use a wider set of laws in order to give a realistic picture of their potential effectiveness against rogue traders.
- Consumer Law Review - Which? Evidence (PDF: 223Kb)
30 July 2008Which? reported that consumer rights were long-standing and broadly effective. There could be merit in some streamlining but nothing must be done to weaken the regime. There would be risks in moving to a more principles based approach.
- Consumer advocate - Which? Response (PDF: 53Kb)
12 March 2010This consultation response set out why the collective redress powers of the Consumer Advocate must be non-exclusive, opt-out not opt-in and properly resourced.
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