CMA updates guidance on unfair contract terms
Consumer-facing businesses are being offered help complying with consumer law as the CMA publishes new guidance on unfair contract terms.
皇冠体育app update has been created because of changes to the law in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (the Act), which will come into force in October this year. 皇冠体育app Act brings together and strengthens 2 pieces of legislation that target contract terms and notices which could be used to give businesses an unfair advantage in their dealings with consumers. 皇冠体育app Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has updated its existing guidance, taking account of recent case law on unfair terms.
皇冠体育app new guidance assists businesses with understanding what makes terms and notices unfair, what risks they can face from using unfair wording and top tips on how to ensure terms and notices are fair and clear. 皇冠体育appre are 3 levels of guidance 鈥� short (2 pages), expanded (28 pages) and full (144 pages), so that different users can access what is most appropriate to their needs. It includes an at-a-glance flowchart explaining how to apply the law on unfair contract terms.
皇冠体育app guidance identifies key things that businesses should do to ensure that they communicate clearly with consumers and avoid disputes arising from unfair terms. Alongside specific advice such as avoiding using legal jargon in contracts, the guide urges businesses to deal 鈥榦penly and fairly鈥� with consumers and not to use terms you 鈥榳ould not like to sign up to yourself鈥�.
Notes for editors
- 皇冠体育app CMA is the UK鈥檚 primary competition and consumer authority. It is an independent non-ministerial government department with responsibility for carrying out investigations into mergers, markets and the regulated industries and enforcing competition and consumer law. From 1 April 2014 it took over the functions of the Competition Commission and the competition and certain consumer functions of the Office of Fair Trading, as amended by the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013.
- For more information on the CMA see our homepage or follow us on Twitter , and .
- Enquiries should be directed to Rory Taylor ([email protected], 020 3738 6798 or Simon Belgard ([email protected], 0203 738 6472).