Consumer Rights Bill - Help the GGF Campaign
22nd April 2014

In March, the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF) yet again met with the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) to discuss the Federation’s proposal that the Consumer Rights Bill should be amended to make a distinction between generic goods (such as TVs and toasters) and goods made to a consumer's specification (such as made-to-measure windows). The GGF has previously proposed to BIS that there should be an amendment to the Bill so that the consumer may only reject that part of the product or complete product which is faulty, and may not reject the remaining products.

Under current laws the consumer has the right to reject all the products for a fault on just one within a "reasonable period", however because the consumer will have the clear right under the new Bill to reject faulty goods within a default 30 days and get a full refund, the GGF is concerned that there will be an increase in consumers rejecting all the newly installed windows in the house to get "free" windows or use it as a "lever" to get money off their bill.

BIS have now asked the Federation for evidence to support the GGF’s proposal.

The position of BIS is that consumers should retain their longstanding right to reject all the goods under a contract where only some are faulty, which protects consumers who have lost all confidence in the goods, (for example because the faults presenting in some of the windows were suggestive of generally shoddy workmanship). In order to show that this current position is unreasonable and damaging to traders we need to prove to BIS that there is in practice a significant level of abuse of this right by consumers. This means we must provide evidence of consumers successfully rejecting all of the goods under a contract without any reasonable justification and on a significant scale.

Having sought views from GGF Members over the past year on the implications of the Bill and the potential impact on their business, the GGF is concerned that the Bill as it is currently drafted could in fact leave companies vulnerable to vexatious consumers. The GGF is therefore seeking evidence to support its Members’ concerns.

If you have any examples of a consumer(s) successfully rejecting all the windows/doors under a contract without any reasonable justification, please email the details with a description of what happened to Brian Smith, GGF Director of Home Improvement, at bsmith@ggf.org.uk.

The GGF thanks you for your assistance in supporting the GGF’s campaign on this serious issue.

www.ggf.org.uk