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.’

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The Guardian, 1st April 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Google loses UK appeal court battle over ‘clandestine’ tracking – The Guardian

Posted March 30th, 2015 in appeals, consumer protection, damages, data protection, internet, news, privacy by sally

‘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.’

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The Guardian, 27th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

FCA plans to ban ‘opt-out’ sales of add-on insurance products –

Posted March 27th, 2015 in consumer protection, financial regulation, insurance, internet by sally

‘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).’

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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

Posted March 26th, 2015 in consumer protection, financial regulation, news, pensions by sally

‘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.’

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RPC Financial Services Blog, 24th March 2015

Source: www.rpc.co.uk

Airlines face court threat over customer services – BBC News

Posted March 24th, 2015 in airlines, compensation, consumer protection, delay, news by sally

‘Three airlines are facing legal action over complaints about how they handle passengers hit by flight disruptions.’

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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.’

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Legal Futures, 19th March 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

CMA says UK energy market needs better regulation and more customer switching – Zenith Chambers

Posted March 23rd, 2015 in competition, consumer protection, energy, news by sally

‘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.’

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Zenith Chambers, 26th February 2015

Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk

Proof of defect under the CPA 1987: Hufford v Samsung Electronics – Henderson Chambers

Posted March 17th, 2015 in consumer protection, defective goods, evidence, news by sally

‘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?’

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Henderson Chambers, 9th January 2015

Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk

Pension mis-selling: 600,000 retired workers owed compensation – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 16th, 2015 in compensation, consumer protection, insurance, news, ombudsmen, pensions by sally

‘As the watchdog considers formal compensation arrangements for savers sold inappropriate deals, Katie Morley looks at how much they could be owed in redress.’

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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.’

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Technology Law Update, 6th March 2015

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Lawyers ‘are using threats to stop negative client reviews’ – The Independent

Posted March 6th, 2015 in consumer protection, defamation, internet, intimidation, law firms, news by sally

‘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.’

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The Independent, 5th March 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Watchdog bans misleading Amazon Prime ‘free trial’ ad – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 5th, 2015 in advertising, complaints, consumer protection, media, news by tracey

‘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.’

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Daily Telegraph, 4th March 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Lawyers using libel threats to “intimidate” clients who post negative reviews online – Legal Futures

‘Lawyers are increasingly using threats of libel action to intimidate clients into taking down negative reviews from comparison websites, it was claimed yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 20th February 2015

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills v PLT Anti-Marketing Ltd – WLR Daily

Posted February 18th, 2015 in consumer protection, law reports, unfair commercial practices, winding up by sally

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills v PLT Anti-Marketing Ltd [2015] EWCA Civ 76; [2015] WLR (D) 63

‘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

Fifty Shades court cases: a Grey area of law – Daily Telegraph

‘The man who squirted his girlfriend with brown sauce, the woman with faulty lubricant…The five most bizarre court cases inspired by 50 Shades of Grey.’

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Daily Telegraph, 10th February 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

ASA bans advert implying vitamin pills could help women conceive – The Guardian

Posted February 4th, 2015 in advertising, complaints, consumer protection, food, health, news, pregnancy, regulations by sally

‘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.’

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The Guardian, 4th February 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Court of Appeal: conditional fee agreement with consumer unenforceable if notice of right to cancel not given – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 3rd, 2015 in appeals, consumer protection, contracts, fees, news by tracey

‘A conditional fee agreement (CFA) that was signed at a client’s home, rather than at the lawyer’s office, was unenforceable because the client had not been given notice of her right to cancel, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 3rd February 2015

Source: www.outlaw.com

Ofgem tightens up rules for comparison websites – The Guardian

Posted January 22nd, 2015 in consumer protection, energy, internet, news by sally

‘The energy regulator Ofgem has announced new rules for comparison websites which will force them to give consumers more information on the tariffs they show, amid allegations that they are hiding the best deals from consumers.’

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The Guardian, 21st January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Australian litigation funder plans more mass claims against big UK firms – The Guardian

Posted January 19th, 2015 in bills, class actions, consumer protection, foreign jurisdictions, news by tracey

‘The Australian litigation funder coordinating shareholders’ legal action against Tesco is promising to launch more mass claims against large firms in the UK.’

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The Guardian, 18th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Private renters’ rights are stuck in the dark ages, Citizens Advice warns – The Guardian

‘Currently landlords obligated to repair fundamental fault in property – but can evict tenants if they pursue rights to repair.’

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The Guardian, 13th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk