05 May 2009
The Consumer Protection Bill was finally signed into law on 24 April 2009 by President Kgalema Motlanthe.
This new Act has been introduced to address the shortcomings of previous consumer legislation and to ensure that consumers are better protected and empowered to realise their rights.
getclosure! Director Patrick Deale believes that that this Act will be extremely powerful as it will provide effective, accessible and efficient systems of redress for all South Africans. However, he warns consumers that this will not happen overnight. This is due to the fact that businesses have been given an 18 month window to align their trading practices to comply with the Act. They will need to redraft agreements, revise policies and ensure that there is sufficient quality control.
According to the
Department of Trade and Industry, the National Consumer Commission will be established 12 months from the date of signing the Bill. The commission will be an enforcement and investigative body on consumer protection issues and they will be responsible for the implementation of the Act after the 18 month period is up.
So what exactly does this mean for South Africans? From 24 October 2010 consumers will be protected from unscrupulous businesses and will be empowered to make wise purchasing decisions. One of the clauses enables consumers to legally cancel contracts if they are not satisfied with the terms.
Read our ABC guide to find out more about the Act and what other topics it covers. Until then, Patrick Deale suggests that consumers should educate themselves about their rights and suppliers should understand the new requirements expected of them and the timeframes needed to put them in place.
Consumers can use channels such as
www.getclosure.co.za to find out more about their rights and the various
remedy providers that may be able to help them. The range of industry Ombudsman bodies and the National Credit Regulator are other examples of organisations that assist consumers with topical complaints or issues.
