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Chapter 6

Consumer protection

4.1 Introduction

Many countries have legislation which attempts to protect consumers from
falling victim to unscrupulous or unethical businesses.

4.2 Sale of goods

In the UK, there is a Sale of Goods Act (1979). This has many features, but there
are several key principles built into the Act. These include:

 The seller must have legal title to, or ownership of, the item they are selling

 The goods sold must be of satisfactory quality and fit for their intended purpose

 When a buyer makes a purchase based on the description of an item, the
goods must correspond with this description

In addition, legislation also often extends to the provision of services – not just goods.
In the UK this is covered by the Supply of Goods and Services Act (1982).

This requires services provided to be:

 Carried out with reasonable skill and care

 Completed within a reasonable length of time

 Completed at a reasonable price

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