Consumer Law... Know your Consumer Rights!

Whether it is best to at least study consumer law briefly BEFORE you buy any goods, or whether you don't expect anything to go wrong, and therefore only worry about consumer law when you DO encounter a problem... it is always best to know WHERE to find the necessary information in advance.

This page contains a list of all the best places to find the knowledge you require and/or need. There is vital information on both the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and Consumer Protection 1987, with informative details from the office of fair trading, and distance selling is also covered in good detail.

Many of the websites mentioned are official government sources... they are all up-to-date, and we will constantly update this list, as necessary, when any new legislation becomes law, or when new and useful resources come online.

The list will contain direct links to each site, plus a brief description of what consumer law information you can expect to find on that site... [please use your back browser button to return to this page].

Please do take the time to read our page on - Guarantees - I thought I was reasonably well informed on the subject... but there are always new tricks which can be played on unsuspecting consumers!

Bookmark this page as your own individual consumer law safety net!

Recommended Websites

Compact Law... loads of free legal information, skim through the various topics, and see what you come up with. Plus legal documents, software, and services.

Advice Guide from the Citizens Advice Bureau... Everyone has heard of the Citizens Advice Bureau and their free assistance. This website is equally helpful... if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will find a link to 'Find Your Local CAB'... most helpful!

The Department for business, enterprise and regulatory reform - a government website - just click on 'Confident Customers', in the top section on the left of the page. This will be for [and I quote] "Helping Customers have more choice, better service and safer products".

BBC Watchdog... everyone has heard of the Watchdog programme on the BBC. This link takes you to their Guides to Consumer Law with expert advice, reports and videos, showing how to avoid being scammed, the law, and the latest consumer issues.

HMSO... the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

Another useful resource can be found at Rights and Responsibilities. It covers a diverse collection of subjects from A to Z, with consumer rights being only a small part of its first class content.

Consumer Direct... is an online consumer advice service which is supported by the DTI.

Trading Standards... a one stop shop for consumer protection information issues in the UK. The site is supported and maintained by the TSI. [Trading Standards Institute.]

OFT... the Office of Fair Trading... you will find Consumer advice [including Consumer Direct] on the right-hand side of the home page with plenty of useful advice and links. Also, if you type "scams" into the Search facility at the top of the page, you will be presented with many, many useful articles.

Consumer Regulations Website ... from the Office of Fair Trading... just click the links for information. As at 13/02/2005 both the 'What's New' and 'Useful Information' sections were under construction.

The Community Legal Advice website... with confidential, independent, government funded advice. There is loads of useful info to be found within this website.