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Fair Trading
We seek to maintain a fair trading environment for traders
and consumers by enforcing the law. There are five main
themes:-
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Descriptions and claims
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Consumer credit
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Pricing
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Intellectual property theft (counterfeiting)
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Selling techniques
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Descriptions and claims can be found in all aspects
of everyday life eg used car mileages, location of hotels
in the holiday brochures and the sales particulars of
property given by an estate agent. All claims should
be justified or an offence may occur.
Anyone involved in the consumer credit industry is
required to have a consumer credit licence which is
issued by the Office of Fair Trading. Activities such
as 'loan sharking' and using misleading credit advertisements
are offences. We also have a duty to notify the Office
of Fair Trading if a trader's practices bring into question
their suitability to hold a credit licence. The removal
of a credit licence is a powerful sanction to those
who depend on it to run their business.
Any goods sold to the public are required to have a
price indication displayed either on it or in close
proximity so that a customer can establish the price
without having to ask. In large stores and supermarkets
there is also a requirement to display the unit price
i.e. price per kg or price per litre of some goods.
Examples of misleading price indications are charging
a higher price than stated and unjustified price reduction
claims.
Intellectual property theft, or counterfeiting, as
it is more commonly known is a multi-million pound crime
which effects the business interests of the brand owners
and consumers alike. Copying of music and films, in
various formats, and clothing are commonplace but consumers'
safety is also at risk when products such as car parts
and medicines are illegally copied.
Some practices or selling techniques used by dishonest
traders have been difficult to address due to legal
constraints or the time needed to complete investigations.
Recently new powers have been given to us by the Office
of Fair Trading to tackle some of these malpractices.
This 'Stop Now Order' mechanism can streamline the administration
process using court injunctions to stop traders from
continuing practices which harm the consumers' interests.
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