Who is a consumer? Most of us are consumers. We buy products like food, clothes, household things or services like paying someone to mow the lawn. There is a law – the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) – which protects consumers.
If the goods you buy are faulty, the shop has to replace them. Many shops or companies use on-line auctions to sell their goods. They now have to say they are “in trade” (they are traders) so if the goods they sell are faulty, the CGA says the trader has to replace them.
Here is an example of how the CGA works. You buy a washing machine which has a two-year guarantee but soon after that two years, the washing machine breaks down. The shop has to fix it because a washing machine should last more than two years. The CGA says that products have to be of “acceptable” quality. That means quality you would expect from a washing machine.
This also means you probably don’t need to pay for an extended warranty. The CGA gives you a guarantee for a longer period for many products. Now consumers have five working days to cancel their extended warranty and get their money back if they change their minds.
It’s good to know about laws that protect consumers. Go to Consumer 2013 website to read more. Note that Consumer June 2014 has some changes.
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