Tobacco display ban extended to all shops – BBC News
‘A ban on showing tobacco products at the point of sale in small shops across the UK has come into force.’
BBC News, 6th April 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: consumer protection
Pensions, pensions, and yet more pensions in the FCA’s business plan – RPC Financial Services Blog
‘The FCA has published its Business Plan for 2015/2016. One of the key themes for both regulation and risk is the pensions market given the pension reforms taking place on 6 April. The Business Plan highlights the fact that the pensions market is a key area of concern for the FCA and an area which it will be monitoring closely in the next year and beyond.’
RPC Financial Services Blog, 27th March 2015
Source: www.rpc.co.uk
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 – how it will impact suppliers of digital content – Technology Law Update
‘In the last few days before campaigning for May’s election started, the UK Consumer Rights Act finally made it through the parliamentary process and became law. Most of the CRA will take effect in October 2015, although this date needs rubber-stamping by parliament.’
Technology Law Update, 31st March 2015
Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk
Bupa ad banned for implying private care is better for surviving cancer – The Guardian
‘An ad for Bupa has been banned for implying that cancer patients who receive private healthcare have a higher chance of survival.’
The Guardian, 1st April 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Google loses UK appeal court battle over ‘clandestine’ tracking – The Guardian
‘Google has failed in its attempt in the court of appeal to prevent British consumers having the right to sue the internet firm in the UK.’
The Guardian, 27th March 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
FCA plans to ban ‘opt-out’ sales of add-on insurance products –
‘UK financial services firms will be banned from using pre-ticked boxes and other methods to sell customers additional ‘add-on’ products when they are purchasing regulated financial products under plans published by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).’
OUT-LAW.com, 26th March 2015
Source: www.out-law.com
Do not-so smart pension reforms mean FCA wants pensioners to be ScamSmart? – RPC Financial Services Blog
‘Less than two weeks after Martin Wheatley’s speech identifying April’s ‘big bang’ pension reforms as “[t]he defining challenge of our time”, the FCA has launched a website called ‘ScamSmart’ dedicated to helping retail investors identify fraudulent investment scams. Martin Wheatley’s keynote speech and the launch of the ScamSmart website indicate the level of concern in the FCA about the impact of the reforms on UK pensioners. The strength of these concerns is confirmed in today’s Business Plan which includes plans for the FCA to carry out a thematic review (with, presumably, intense supervisory and enforcement work to follow) into the suitability of pensions and retail investment advice.’
RPC Financial Services Blog, 24th March 2015
Source: www.rpc.co.uk
Airlines face court threat over customer services – BBC News
‘Three airlines are facing legal action over complaints about how they handle passengers hit by flight disruptions.’
BBC News, 21st March 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
No evidence of regulatory risks from online divorce, research finds – Legal Futures
‘There is no evidence of online divorce leading to regulatory risks, joint research by the Legal Services Board (LSB) and Legal Services Consumer Panel has concluded.’
Legal Futures, 19th March 2015
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
CMA says UK energy market needs better regulation and more customer switching – Zenith Chambers
‘The CMA’s updated issues statement on its energy market investigation has been hailed as a ‘win’ for the energy companies, while suggesting that a lack of competition could be due to poor regulation and customer apathy. A closer look at the CMA’s initial findings suggests a more nuanced view.’
Full story (PDF)
Zenith Chambers, 26th February 2015
Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk
Proof of defect under the CPA 1987: Hufford v Samsung Electronics – Henderson Chambers
‘To what extent must a claimant relying on the Consumer Protection Act 1987 (“the Act”) prove with precision the nature of a defect in a product said to have caused him or her damage?’
Full story (PDF)
Henderson Chambers, 9th January 2015
Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk
Pension mis-selling: 600,000 retired workers owed compensation – Daily Telegraph
‘As the watchdog considers formal compensation arrangements for savers sold inappropriate deals, Katie Morley looks at how much they could be owed in redress.’
Daily Telegraph, 14th March 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Branded drugs and over-stickering: when is 8.62% a substantial part? – Technology Law Update
‘A brand-owner generally wants to use the same brand across several countries, but there are industries where national branding is common. Pharmaceuticals is one. In a free trade bloc like the EU this leads to a tension between the free movement of goods and protection of IP rights. The interplay of the EU rules in this area has come under the spotlight in SEP v Doncaster.’
Technology Law Update, 6th March 2015
Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk
Lawyers ‘are using threats to stop negative client reviews’ – The Independent
‘Thin-skinned lawyers are abusing their legal standing by threatening defamation action against members of the public who post negative reviews of their services on TripAdvisor-style websites.’
The Independent, 5th March 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Watchdog bans misleading Amazon Prime ‘free trial’ ad – Daily Telegraph
‘Amazon has been banned from sending an advertisement to customers promoting a “free trial” of its Amazon Prime service after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled it was misleading.’
Daily Telegraph, 4th March 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills v PLT Anti-Marketing Ltd – WLR Daily
‘Where a court was considering whether a commercial practice amounted to a misleading omission by the omission of material information for the purposes of regulation 6 of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, the court had to consider, particularly where the information omitted concerned alternative products, whether the average consumer could be said to have needed to obtain that information from the trader rather than from elsewhere.’
WLR Daily, 10th February 2015
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
ASA bans advert implying vitamin pills could help women conceive – The Guardian
‘An advert for a vitamin supplement designed for women trying to conceive has been banned after the regulator ruled there was no proof that the product could increase the likelihood of pregnancy.’
The Guardian, 4th February 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
