One month in – The Consumer Rights Act 2015

legal updates

We have seen a number of cases whereby customers have demanded a refund on the advice of a consumer organisation.

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Following the introduction of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 last month, we have seen a surge in sales of our PDI pads as dealers have taken on board our advice to review their pre delivery procedures.

As a result, we have already been able to successfully help a number of dealers fight off a customer’s demand for a refund under the 30 day Short Term Right to Reject.

As suspected, consumers have been given the impression that they have an automatic right to a refund if a fault appears in the first 30 days.  As our members will know, that position is only half the story as;

a) the fault cannot be something relatively minor and

b) the fault had to be present at the point of sale.

We have seen a number of cases whereby customers have demanded a refund on the advice of a consumer organisation but we have been able to evidence that they are not entitled as either the fault was not major and/or it was not present at the point of sale.

The PDI pads, and new MOTs etc, are really proving their worth not only in defending spurious refund claims from customers under The Short Term Right to Reject but also in giving customers confidence in the vehicle they are purchasing.

We will continue to update you on the impact of the new Consumer Rights Act 2015 as of course it’s still early days but currently, with the right procedures in place, the negative impact has been minimal.

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Nona BowkisHead of Legal Services / SolicitorRead More by this author

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The diagnosis showed the third-party garage had failed to repair the vehicle to a satisfactory standard and this was relayed to the consumer.

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