Retailers urged to get to grips with important new legislation

Retailers are being urged to review their training processes after new legislation and advances in technology mean some frontline staff could be caught out.

The advice comes from Peter Stonely from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) who is delivering a free webinar on the new Consumer Rights Act next week.

Under the Act, suppliers of digital content - found in everything from cars, sat navs, phones, smart TVs and even conventional DVDs and CDs - must repair or replace faulty content.   

However, Mr Stonely will also discuss the wider implications of the new Act - which affects all businesses that sell to consumers - while answering questions from some of the high street’s biggest names.

The webinar will also serve to showcase the online learning portal, TradeSimple, a partnership between online learning provider, Virtual College, and CTSI. This includes a new module aimed at helping retailers to train their staff on the new Act.  

Mr Stonely, lead officer for civil law at CTSI, said: “Staff who know their customers’ rights provide better customer service and save both their customers and employer’s time and money.

“The new Consumer Rights Act is good news but it is vital that retailers and their staff understand what the provisions mean.”

Jaison Cresswell, from Virtual College, said: “Retail legislation can be complex and it is a field that is constantly evolving but with TradeSimple we make it easy to stay up-to-date and on the right side of the law.”

In addition to the new responsibilities surrounding digital content, other parts of the Act which are explored in the TradeSimple module, include:

• A 30-day time period to return faulty goods and get a full refund.
• Rights to demand that substandard services are redone or failing that receive a price reduction.
• Written notices to businesses for routine inspections by public enforcers, such as trading standards services.
• The ability to challenge terms and conditions which are not fair or made clear.

TradeSimple was developed by CTSI and Virtual College to help retailers and their staff understand and comply with trading standards legislation.

To take part in the webinar at 1:30pm on Tuesday, October 20, visit https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2610861098195593218

For information about the new TradeSimple Consumer Rights Act module and other staff training products visit www.tradesimple.org.uk