Supply of Goods and Services 1982

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This Act covers all contracts when a consumer is paying for a service, this may include the provision of goods (i.e. tiles included as part of roofing work), if goods are provided then the rights under the Sale of Goods Act applies to the goods.

A consumer can expect that services will be carried out:

Using reasonable care and skill, the company should have the necessary expertise to carry out the work.
Within a reasonable time unless a time is fixed by the contract.
At a reasonable price unless the price has been fixed by the contract, if no price is fixed by the contract the consumer should pay an amount in line with what others within the industry would charge.

If a problem occurs the consumer can request for the work to be put right free of charge without being caused significant inconvenience. If the company fail to put this work right the consumer can consider employing a third party to carry out remedial work and charge the original trader for any costs incurred, however this should be avoided where possible.

In Scotland it is consumers get the same rights as under SOGSA but this falls under common law (past cases that have set the precedent)

Thinking of getting a service in Europe?

In that case think European Consumer Centre for Services (ECCS), your one stop shop to find out everything you need to know before getting the service.

The ECCS is a requirement of the European Services Directive and is hosted by the Trading Standards Institute and funded by the Department for Innovations and Skills.

The ECCS is here to ensure you know what you need to know before you get a service from another European Country. Have a look at their website for further information – www.ukecc-services.net. You can also contact the ECCS by phone if you have a specific enquire about a service in another European country – 08456 08 94 94.

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The UK European Consumer Centre has available a free newsletter, “UK ECC – your update”. The aim of the newsletter is to provide you, the consumer, with a flavour of what the UK ECC does, provide examples of cases we have been working on and, more importantly, provide you with the best advice on cross-border shopping. Please use the link below to subscribe to our newsletter.