Government introduces new product safety office – BBC News

Posted January 22nd, 2018 in consumer protection, fire, health & safety, news, select committees by sally

‘The government is creating a new Office for Product Safety and Standards to help manage large-scale product recalls and identify risks to consumers.’

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BBC News, 21st January 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Consumer panel warns SRA that latest Handbook reforms are recipe for “consumer confusion” – Legal Futures

‘The Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) has warned that the second phase of reforms to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Handbook would “compound existing complexities” and could further confuse consumers.’

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Legal Futures, 9th January 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Timeshare Contracts & Consumer Regulation – A Brief Introduction by David Partington – Park Square Barristers

Posted December 8th, 2017 in consumer protection, contracts, news, time sharing, unfair contract terms by sally

‘In this article I shall introduce the basics of deploying consumer law to timeshare contracts. Before I do that, I need to recap or explain two matters. One is the central “mischief” of timeshare contracts. The second is the mechanics of such contracts.’

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Park Square Barristers, 29th November 2017

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

New payment services must gain consumer trust through sound data security practices to succeed – OUT-LAW.com

Posted December 8th, 2017 in consumer protection, electronic commerce, news by sally

‘Without the trust of consumers, third parties requiring consumer consent to use new rights of access to bank and payment account data will struggle to make an impact in the market.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 7th December 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Forcing law firms to publish prices could make consumers focus just on cost, Law Society warns – Legal Futures

Posted December 7th, 2017 in consumer protection, fees, law firms, news, publishing by sally

‘Forcing law firms to publish prices could “bias” clients in favour of choosing their solicitor on price rather than quality or consumer protection, the Law Society has warned.’

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Legal Futures, 7th December 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Ticket resale sites could face court over consumer law concerns – The Guardian

Posted November 29th, 2017 in competition, consumer protection, internet, news by sally

‘Secondary ticketing firms could be fined or taken to court after a year-long investigation by the UK competition regulator uncovered “widespread concerns” about breaches of consumer law.’

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The Guardian, 28th November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Goods Mortgages Bill ready to write off unfair law on logbook loans – Law Commission

Posted November 24th, 2017 in bills, consumer protection, loans, mortgages, press releases by tracey

‘The Law Commission has today published a new draft Bill to put the brake on unfair rules on logbook loans and usher in a new era of better protection for consumers.’

Full press release

Law Commission, 24th November 2017

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk/

City watchdog to regulate ‘addictive’ binary trading after scammers net £60m – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 15th, 2017 in consumer protection, financial regulation, gambling, news by tracey

‘The Financial Conduct Authority is to police firms offering “binary options” following complaints of large losses by consumers and the prevalence of scams.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th November 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Compensation for customers of failed investment firms to rise from £50,000 to £85,000 – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 31st, 2017 in compensation, consumer protection, financial regulation, news by sally

‘Investors who lose out when their firms go bust could now receive up to £35,000 more compensation under plans unveiled by the City watchdog.’

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Daily Telegraph, 31st October 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Competition watchdog probes high-pressure tactics of hotel booking sites – The Guardian

Posted October 27th, 2017 in competition, consumer protection, hotels, internet, news by sally

‘Britain’s competition watchdog is to investigate hotel booking sites over concerns that consumers are being misled, pressured, and prevented from finding the best deals.’

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The Guardian, 27th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government called on to let data breach victims force compensation – The Guardian

Posted October 24th, 2017 in bills, compensation, consumer protection, data protection, news, victims by sally

‘Consumer organisation Which? is calling on the government to create new rights for people who have been the victims of a corporate data breach.’

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The Guardian, 24th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hip implant patients sue manufacturer – BBC News

Posted October 17th, 2017 in consumer protection, health, news, prosecutions by tracey

‘Hundreds of people who received allegedly faulty hip replacements are suing the manufacturer at the High Court. The hearing is thought to be one of the largest product liability group actions ever heard in the UK.’

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BBC News, 16th October 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Warning over fake lipstick after trading standards find level of lead could cause severe health problems – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 6th, 2017 in consumer protection, counterfeiting, news, poisoning, trading standards by tracey

‘A warning has been issued over fake lipstick after a court heard that the level of lead in counterfeit products can cause severe health problems. Paul Lamerton sold fake lipsticks on eBay and Facebook with 300 times the legal level of lead, and magistrates in Plymouth, Devon, were told that if used regularly the cosmetic could result in high blood pressure, cardiac, reproductive and neurological problems.’

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Daily Telegraph, 5th October 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

BSB proposes targeted approach to CMA disclosure recommendations: focuses on consumers who would benefit most – Bar Standards Board

Posted October 3rd, 2017 in barristers, competition, consultations, consumer protection, fees, news by sally

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has today published a new consultation outlining its proposed response to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) recommendations for more transparency about legal service providers’ fees, services and rights of redress for consumers.’

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Bar Standards Board, 2nd October 2017

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Revealed: BSB set to expand price transparency obligation beyond public access to referral Bar – Legal Futures

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) will say today that new rules on publishing prices should extend to referral barristers as well as those handling public access work.’

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Legal Futures, 2nd October 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

London Trading Standards issue £370k fines to letting agents in three months – Local Government Lawyer

‘Trading Standards departments in London have issued fines amounting to around £370,000 to lettings agents in the last three months alone, it has emerged.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 27th September 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Ryanair law breach leaves UK regulator CAA ‘furious’ – BBC News

Posted September 28th, 2017 in airlines, consumer protection, enforcement, news by sally

‘Ryanair has been threatened with legal action for “persistently misleading” passengers about their rights following thousands of flight cancellations.’

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BBC News, 28th September 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK pensions scheme calls on FCA to limit pensions freedoms – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 21st, 2017 in consumer protection, financial regulation, news, pensions by sally

‘The UK’s state-backed pensions scheme, the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST), has asked for limits to be put on pensions freedoms to protect its members from losing retirement savings.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 20th September 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

FCA moves to clarify scope of regulation of account information services under PSD2 – OUT-LAW.com

‘Service providers that help other businesses to pool information from different payment accounts on behalf of customers will not be subject to regulation under new UK payment services laws if they do not deliver the aggregated data to the customer themselves, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 19th September 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Change in disciplinary standard of proof “will incentivise barristers to deliver good services”, says consumer panel – Legal Futures

Posted September 12th, 2017 in barristers, consumer protection, disciplinary procedures, news, standard of proof by tracey

‘The Legal Services Consumer Panel has given strong backing to the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) proposal to reduce the standard of proof in disciplinary proceedings from the criminal to the civil standard.’

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Legal Futures, 12th September 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk