EU Consumer Rights

As much as i assume most of you who're reading my previous entry has been familiar with the SOGA 1979, I shall now proceed to look into the consumer rights beyond the UK Law. I am not too sure if anyone of you is familiar with the European Consumer Rights Directive, but I certainly just learn about it while I was doing my research on SOGA. Just a basic information about the law so that you know about it! (shame on me who know nothing about the directive,hence find it interesting to share!)

Under the European Directive on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees (1999/44/EC), which was passed into law in January 2003 (S.I. 11 of 2003) in Ireland, all consumers purchasing goods in any EU Member State are entitled to a basic set of consumer rights. The existence of a single European market gives access to a wider range of products and services at competitive prices.

National consumer laws in a particular country may provide you with additional rights as a consumer. That is, rights that supplement your rights provided by EU laws. Your basic right as a consumer is to have a product replaced, repaired or to have a refund or reduction in price for any fault in the product that you were not made aware of at the time of purchase. There are however a set of rules governing these rights. These rules are concerned mainly with descriptions and statements made about the product, instructions and guarantees.

The main rights that are given to every European consumer under the European Directive on certain aspects of the sale of consumer goods and associated guarantees (1999/44/EC) are set in three categories,

• When a consumer purchase goods or services from another EU Member State and they were advertised in any EU country, consumers are protected under consumer law of the home country.
• If consumer purchased goods or services from a representative of the business in home country, national consumer law of home country protects the consumer.
• If you buy goods or services while you were visiting another EU Member State the laws of the country in which you bought the items apply.

As sometimes we may be doing shopping while travelling in other countries in Europe, i think it is important for consumer to know that which country's law is binding to them. 

Articles and Information Extracted from,

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer_affairs/consumer_protection/consumer_rights/consumer_rights_and_cross_border_shopping_in_the_european_union.html

Raychelle, CM TAN