For questions related to the laws designed to protect consumers from fraudulent or unfair business practices.
Canonical answers:
Questions tagged [consumer-protection]
428 questions
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After buying from a brick & mortar shop they've contacted me to say buying things from them is consent to arbitration. Is this legal?
A few days ago I bought over-the-counter goods from a shop. There was no signature involved in this purchase. I walked up to the counter with off-the-shelf items, was asked for a phone number, paid in cash, then left. They just sent a text message…
when squared equals a negative
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Would it be legal to supply an item that deliberately stops working after the guarantee expires?
I have TV that failed about a week after the 3 year guarantee expired.
Obviously this is annoying, and I'm back to using a 15 year old TV that I dug out from the attic.
Realistically, this failure so close to expiry of the guarantee is probably just…
ConanTheGerbil
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Can "Right to Repair" laws (or other laws) require a company to open source their proprietary firmware?
AFAIK, there are no prohibitions here that require omission of specifics, so I will be specific.
Over the years, I have invested a fair sum of money on products made by a company called Sonos. Fairly recently (2018 IIRC), Sonos "went public"; this…
Seamus
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Does consumer protection cover price changes at point of sale?
Just now I booked a flight on booking.com in the following sequence:
The flight was listed as £460
I went through the entire purchase procedure and entered bank details
I went through 2FA to authorise the payment on my banking app on my phone. This…
roganjosh
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Can hotel booking companies make up any "original price" they want, or does the claimed original price have to be somehow grounded in reality?
I was booking a hotel room via Agoda in the United States and saw that the claimed original price was much higher than the hotel price rate if booked at the hotel front desk or using the official hotel's website. I assume that Agoda is trying to…
Franck Dernoncourt
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Is it legal for a store to accept payment by debit card but not be able to refund to it, even in event of staff's mistake?
A store accepts payment by payment cards, including debit and credit cards. Refunds are allowed, however due to a technical problem refunds cannot be made to debit cards.
Sometimes a refund is necessary if a mistake was made, for example if the…
casablancaeggplant
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Is it legal for a business to refuse service to a former customer in retribution for them leaving negative online reviews of the business?
The workers of the business are excellent at what they do and lovely people, while the manager is always a mean jerk to everyone. I don’t want to stop going there just because of him but I’m finally sick of it and want to publicise his attitude…
JosephCorrectEnglishPronouns
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Are there lies that can be punished without any demonstrated harm?
Another answer says, without qualification (emphasis mine): "Lying per se is not illegal. For it to be so, the person lied to has to suffer a detriment that the lier [sic] ought to prevent."
But, are there lies that are considered illegal without…
Jen
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"Lifetime Warranty" terms and conditions changed after purchase
Around four years ago I purchased a pair of William Painter sunglasses through a successful Kickstarter campaign.
The campaign advertised a 'Lifetime Warranty', which they clarified in an FAQ on Kickstarter as follows:
What are the details of the…
Hugh
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Is Price Discrimination in the Software Industry legal in the US? (Sneakers resale software case)
There is a software manufacturer that advertises their product for $599 on their website. Conveniently, the software is always out of stock, while the manufacturer “backdoors” some licenses to a selective group of users, at a price of $6,500. Then,…
Heatconomics
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Is it legal for an oil company to charge customers a different price per gallon for the same oil?
I found out recently that my oil company is charging me and some of my neighbors almost twice as much as other neighbors for the same type of oil. The difference is per gallon so the amount shouldn't be a factor. Is there any legal recourse we can…
Anna
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Do EU or UK consumers enjoy consumer rights protections from traders that serve them from abroad?
Bob lives in Manchester, or alternatively in Lyon. He purchases a product or service from a vendor in the USA, or perhaps Timbuktu.
Do European or British consumer rights legislations bind the American/Malian trader to protect Bob, as the GDPR…
TylerDurden
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Does a duty of care arise from advertised functionality?
Credit card issuer advertises "account alerts" on its website and in other communications, e.g., to "receive a reminder when your payment is due". Customer sets up alerts, and relies on them to know when to make a payment. Bank fails to send them,…
Josh Johnson
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Statutory right to return shoes bought online that don't fit
Online shoe seller's policy is to allow returns within fourteen days of purchase at buyer's expense if the shoes have their tags on them and are not worn outdoors.
I received mine tried them on and a friend said that the only way to really know is…
JosephCorrectEnglishPronouns
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Is there such thing as reasonable expectation for delivery time?
I ordered a chair from a store here in town. Delivery estimate according to the receipt is 10-12 weeks. The receipt says if I cancel the order I have to pay a 25% restocking fee.
Twelve weeks has come and gone and the store doesn't know when the…
SafeCracker
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