There was finally agreement on the ticket touting issue that was being discussed in both Houses of Parliament so the Consumer Rights Bill is now more or less finalised. The goods guidance is due to be published later this month.

AMDEA’s Spares and Service Panel is compiling a summary for members to explain which terms fall under this legislation, as distinct from the provisions of the Consumer Contracts Regulations which completed the implementation of the Consumer Rights Directive last year. There are also new provisions related to competition and contract terms.

AMDEA joined a BIS workshop looking at the definitions of “unfair contract terms” – in particular the suggestion that a term must be “prominent” to avoid being challenged as unfair. This is seen by many as a rather imprecise definition that could see large swathes of terms and conditions potentially subject to challenges by consumers. However the Government takes the view that the key issue is fairness and that common sense will win the day.

Proposals for the residual Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme, that BIS envisages will supplement the UK’s existing regime, are still rather nebulous. It seems that BIS have been concentrating on how to ensure that existing schemes are accredited for the new regime before they embark on creating anything new.