Shoppers Get New Rights In Consumer Law Shake-Up

Shoppers now have greater protection if they buy faulty goods after the biggest shake-up of consumer law in a generation came into effect.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 aims to make it harder for retailers to "wriggle out" of offering refunds to customers for substandard goods and services and unfair terms - and should see disputes resolved more quickly.

Shoppers now have 30 days to demand a replacement or full refund for a faulty item and get more protection when making digital purchases - meaning ebooks, games, music and movies are covered for the first time.

In the case of a dispute, certified Alternative Dispute Resolution providers are now available to help as a quicker and cheaper alternative to going through the courts.

UK consumers spend £90bn a month but figures from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) show shoppers encountered more than 18 million problems with consumer goods and services in the 12 months to the middle of last year, leaving them £4.15bn out of pocket.

Hannah Maundrell of money.co.uk told Sky News: "It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) 's really good news because your refund rights are much clearer so it should be easier to get your money back if something goes wrong.

"The new rules should make things simpler for businesses too because they’ll know where they stand."

The new legislation is a major part of the Government’s reform of UK consumer law and is predicted to boost the economy by £4bn over the next decade by streamlining complicated law from eight pieces of legislation into one place.

Business minister Nick Boles said: "Whether it's downloading music or buying a fridge freezer, the Consumer Rights Act makes it easier to understand your rights.

"These changes will also simplify the law for businesses so they can spend less time worrying about unclear and unwieldy regulations (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) ."