New legislation to crack down on rogue traders has been welcomed by Wigan Council.
The Consumer Protection Regulations come into force on May 26 in one of the biggest changes in consumer law for decades affecting both consumers and businesses alike.
Recent research shows that 53% of small firms believe their profits have been hi
t by rivals using unfair sales practices and, of those, 10% reckon the rogues cost them more than a fifth of their revenue.
CPRs will apply to businesses trading directly with consumers, from hoteliers and builders to retailers and second hand motor traders and will ban 31 types of unfair sales practices outright. These include bogus "closing down" sales, prize draw scams and aggressive doorstep selling.
They will also close loopholes previously exploited by rogue traders by establishing for the first time a catch-all duty for businesses not to trade unfairly.
The government is investing about £7.5m in new specialist Trading Standards scambuster teams to tackle crooks who deliberately set out to defraud consumers. Trading Standards and the Office of Fair Trading will enforce the new law, and sanctions, depending on the seriousness of the offence, range from guidance and codes of conduct to unlimited fines and long prison sentences.
Julie Searing, principal officer for Wigan Council's Fair Trading team,
welcomed the regulations.
She said: "They will make life much harder for rogue traders who treat consumers unfairly and dishonestly, often causing frustration, anger and distress to those affected. I am sure consumers in our borough will be pleased to know that the changes will make it easier to tackle unscrupulous traders."
The full article contains 274 words and appears in Wigan Evening Post newspaper.
