Sales of Goods and Services: Regulations for Traders and Rights of Consumers

The UK commercial law regulates the sales and purchase of goods within the country. There are specific laws for sales of goods and for rights of disgruntled customers.

Sale of Goods Act 1979

This is a very clear and specific law which describes how exactly a good is to be sold to the buyer. The law describes that the goods are sold to the consumer by the contract of sale by obtaining a price for the goods. This contract can be in a written format or by word of mouth. Any breach in this contract can lead to dispute with the buyer.

The act also specifies on how to fix the price for the goods. All it states is the price must be reasonable and is left to the interpretation of the trader.

The act also defines who an unpaid seller is and what action he can take against the party at fault for the seller not being paid.

Part 5A talks about the rights of the consumer. IT says when the goods that have been bought can be replaced or repaired for free by the retailer.

Consumer rights

Every consumer has shopping rights. These rights are also covered by the sales of goods act of 1979. The rights are:

• The goods that you buy should look just they have been described. That is, the item should match the description and functionality given in the brochure or advertisement. A seller cannot show you one product and sell you something entirely different.
• The product that you buy should be fit for purpose. That is, it should be able to do the job it says it can do.
• The quality of the good must be satisfactory. The item should look good, must be safe and durable and should be free of technical problems.

By breaching any of the above products, the seller can be sued for tricking you into buying a faulty product. But a seller is NOT at fault and cannot be legally sued if:

• The product is damaged due to wear and tear
• The product is damaged due to manhandling and mishandling.
• The consumer decides not to use the product any more.

Remedies for faulty products and services

As compensation to the buyer from the seller, the law has put down certain remedies.

• A full refund or a partial refund can be claimed by the consumer for the product if the fault is reported within reasonable time.
• A reasonable compensation for up to 6 years after the discovery of problem. This is the maximum time limit and varies with each product.
• Replace or repair the item in question.

Legal Actions

The legal actions can be taken against the retailer only and NOT the manufacturer. The consumer can hire an attorney with relevant commercial law experience and prove the faults of the product in a court of law.