The government-backed businesscompanion.info website has published a new guide to help car sellers understand their legal obligations. The guide has been put together by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI).
The guide comes on the heals of 2016’s changes in consumer law with exact time limits now in place for customers have to reject cars and gain a refund. It also comes at a time when consumers are expressing high levels of frustration with the used car retail sector. Citizens Advice data has confirmed that used car sales have caused the most consumer problems of the last five years – with 57,351 general issues reported last year alone.
Some of the issues that are covered in the guide include: what responsibilities a trader has if a car is faulty and the time limits that apply to both parties; what the law says about when a trader can make repairs to a vehicle that is faulty; and what a trader should do if a consumer claims their final right to reject after initial repairs did not work.It also provides legal guidance for car dealers that sell goods and services online or over the phone, which can differ from a face-to-face sale.
Adrian Simpson, CTSI’s business education and consumer codes expert, said:”It might feel like trading standards law is out to get you but it’s not, it’s there to help create a fair and level playing field to protect consumers and businesses alike.
“When you get trading standards law right and when you understand your obligations it saves you time and money and makes it easier to resolve a problem, if things do go wrong.
“With so many parts of the Consumer Rights Act relevant to car dealers and those that work in the motor industry, it’s more important than ever that businesses get up to date with the law.
“The new guide and the wider information on businesscompanion.info allows businesses to access technical and legal expertise for free, so they can make sure they are clear on the legislation that affects them.”
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