26 May 2008 - The biggest overhaul of consumer protection laws in 40 years has come into force today.
The new Consumer Protection Regulations bans 31 types of unfair sales practices outright and closes loopholes that rogue traders have so far been able to exploit.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and Trading Standards will enforce the new rules. Businesses breaking the law face substantial fines and prison sentences, depending on the seriousness of the offending.
Many of the 31 banned sales practices are intended to stop scams involving deceptive unsolicited mailings, phone calls and e-mails. They include:
Consumer Affairs Minister Gareth Thomas said the new regulations "will deliver better protection for consumers, cut red tape and put in place a simpler and clearer consumer law that will be easier to interpret and enforce."
However, Carl Belgrove, a policy advocate at the National Consumer Council, which has spent 20 years campaigning for the legislation, said the legislation does not go far enough. In today's Independent she commented: "These new laws represent a big boost to consumer protection, particularly for vulnerable people who are targeted by rogue traders. But the one thing missing is a way for consumers to claim compensation when businesses act unfairly and we hope that will be remedied soon."
Chris Warner, an in-house lawyer at Which? also welcomed the new regulations, but warned that it was crucial that the new landscape was properly policed: "Doorstepping and aggressive selling are unacceptable and we are delighted that many of these practices are now rightly considered to be criminal offences. However, the devil is in the detail and this will only work if the OFT and Trading Standards enforce it firmly."
Fortune-tellers, astrologists and other mediums are among those opposing the new laws, saying they will be forced to tell customers that they are offering "entertainment only" and their work is not "experimentally proven".