An important part of owning a business is knowing and understanding consumer law.

Consumers are protected by the law and can be broken down into the following categories: Rights under the Sale of Goods Acts, Distance Selling Rules and Unfair Contract Terms.

Consumers also have the right to claim against sellers or manufacturers of defective products which cause harm or injury.

The Sale of Goods Acts.

Most people are aware of the conditions of this. Goods sold to the consumer must be of reasonable quality, fit for their intended purpose and must match any description given.

It is important to point out that whilst most retailers accept returns even when goods are not faulty, they are not obliged to do so.

The returns policy is deemed a matter of goodwill by the retailer.

Distance Selling Rules.

We are often approached by people who have queries about their rights when they make online purchases.

One important feature for any business selling online, on the phone or by mail order is that they must inform the customer that they have a no questions asked 14-day right to cancel their order.

Unfair Contract Terms.

Consumers are protected against unfair contract terms.

Here are some examples of terms which are unfair: having a term which is difficult to understand due to the type of language used or the print size, a policy that makes it very difficult for you to end a contract, a term which tries to prevent you from taking a trader to court.