Consumer rights week leaves retailers edgy

Monday, 14 September 2009 12:01 AM

By Alex Stevenson

Retailers are on the defensive for the next seven days as national consumer week gets underway.

Trading Standards' week begins with a survey commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills showing that over a third of Londoners feel their consumer rights have been ignored.

The poll found the same could be said of over a quarter of consumers in the south-east and that, across England and Scotland, one-third had complained to a store about goods and/or asked for a refund or exchange at least once a year for the last three years.

Consumer minister Kevin Brennan, launching the government's Know Your Consumer Rights campaign, said: "Knowledgeable, confident consumers are much more likely to get a fair deal, save money and get the right result when things go wrong.

"This is especially important during the current economic climate, when every penny is even more precious than usual."

Speaking to politics.co.uk, Richard Dodd of the British Retail Consortium explained that he wholeheartedly supported the campaign - because problems only arose when consumers got their facts wrong.

"Some of the difficulties that can arise can sometimes be over customers misunderstanding what their rights are - for example, not appreciating the difference between what the law stipulates and extras above and beyond that which retailers often offer," he explained.

When seeking an exchange shops often offer rights beyond the legal requirement that they only be returned if faulty, for example, despite the fact many shops offer other refund or exchange options to customers.

"Our members would have no interest whatsoever in mislabelling or putting the wrong prices on items because all that will do is produce disgruntled customers," Mr Dodd added.

"No established retailer who's looking to a long-term successful future wants to annoy customers."

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• business and industry
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• economy
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• recession