TWO NOTABLE IRISH retailers were issued ‘compliance notices’ by the country’s consumer watchdog for breaching the Consumer Rights Directive last year.
A compliance notice is a written warning issued by the Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to a trader that has been found in breach of consumer protection legislation.
This notice directs the trader to address the breach in legislation within 14 days or face a small fine, worth €300.
Sports retailer Life Style Sports and electrical goods store PowerCity were pulled up by the CCPC after they provided misleading information to consumers about their legal rights under the EU’s Consumer Rights Directive.
In addition to its warning, Life Style Sports was handed a €300 fine after it failed to reimburse delivery costs to customers who cancelled their orders or returned their purchases.
The clothing store was also issued a compliance notice to provide information to consumers about their rights when orders were cancelled.
PowerCity received two notices for breaching consumer legislation. The electrical store was warned after it failed to provide customers with information about cancelled orders.
The company was also ordered to provide information to customers about their rights to withdraw from a transaction when specifically purchasing items online.
Creative Retail Solutions Limited was also handed a warning from the CCPC after its returns policy was found to be in breach of Irish consumer law.
The company’s store, Gadget Box, told customers that it didn’t provide any refunds on purchases and would only exchange goods that were brought back within 24 hours of purchase.
Under local consumer laws, if there is a fault with a product within six months of purchase, the faulty item is the trader’s responsibility and can be returned.
Enforcement actions
These three notices were part of 40 enforcement orders handed out by the CCPC during 2016 to 33 different traders.
In total, 27 fines were paid for breaching the price display rules, with each penalty costing traders €300. Additionally, seven notices were handed out to businesses that charged more than the price that was displayed for items.
Speaking about the notices issued last year, CCPC chairperson Isolde Goggin said that 150 unannounced inspections of traders across Ireland were carried out last year to assess compliance with price display rules.
She added that the CCPC also reviewed around 140 websites for compliance.
The CCPC was founded in 2002 to run the rule over Irish merger and acquisition deals and assess if deals will affect the competitiveness of a sector.
Written by Killian Woods and posted on Fora.ie
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