The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has welcomed Oireachtas approval of the Consumer Rights Bill (CRB) 2022, which will strengthen consumer rights online and offline.
The CRB provides clarity to consumers and businesses, setting out specific obligations for traders and ensuring greater transparency for consumers before and after purchase.
Access Improved
The bill will improve access to redress for consumers in the case of faulty goods or services, and consumers will now have significantly greater protections when buying digital services and content.
Online reviews are also addressed in the bill, which prohibits the posting of false reviews or endorsements and requires traders to make efforts to verify purchases by reviewers.
Important Step Forward
Kevin O’Brien, a member of the CCPC, said that the bill is an “important step forward” for consumer rights in Ireland.
“It will significantly improve protections and enhance the CCPC’s powers of enforcement. Consumer rights will be strengthened throughout the purchasing process – from the initial shopping stages to the moment of sale, and beyond, to any issues arising after purchase,” O’Brien added.
“Every year, thousands of consumers contact the CCPC helpline in relation to faulty goods and services. This bill will strengthen the rights and remedies available to these consumers. The bill also expands and strengthens our enforcement powers – the CCPC will now be able to act against traders who fail to provide a remedy or reimbursement to which consumers are entitled.”
The Consumer Rights Bill 2022 was passed by Seanad Éireann today and will now be sent to President Michael D. Higgins for signing.
© 2022 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
