The government has reminded the public about amendments to the Consumer Affairs Act transposing an EU Directive on unfair business-to-consumer commercial practices.
The new amendments place a general duty on all businesses not to trade unfairly with consumers.
They describe two major categories of unfair commercial practices: those which are misleading and those which are aggressive.
A limited range of practices are prohibited, such as pressure selling and misleading marketing among others. It also lays down general principles which can be used to assess whether other types of practices should be prohibited as unfair. This legislation does not apply to dealings between businesses.
Should consumers or traders require further details on the amendments, they can call the Consumer and Competition Division on 8007 4400 or the European Consumer Centre on 2122 1901/3.