The Commerce Commission and Ministry of Consumer Affairs will be visiting South Auckland on Monday March 1 to Wednesday March 3 to discuss the Fair Trading and Consumer Guarantees Acts and other consumer protection issues.

In addition the Commission and Ministry will be holding a seminar which all South Auckland business people are invited to attend. The seminar will be on Wednesday at 6pm at the Gateway Hotel.

The Chief Investigator from the Commission's Auckland office, Janet Whiteside, said that the visit is part of a planned programme of reaching traders. These visits are educative, not investigative. Their aim is to raise awareness and compliance with the Fair Trading Act and other consumer legislation.

"We will be talking about two of the most important laws that affect businesses every day," Ms Whiteside said. "After the seminar there will be plenty of time for questions and informal discussion.

"This is an opportunity for business people to increase their knowledge of the law. It is an education exercise. We want people to understand how to operate within the law to protect themselves and their customers."

Ministry of Consumer Affairs advisor Jeanette Harris said, "We trust traders will take advantage of the visit and seminar to clarify any areas of uncertainty in respect of the Consumer Guarantees Act. Our visits and the seminar will allow traders to question MCA staff on any other specific area of consumer law that interests them and their customers".

In particular on this visit the Commission will be focusing on motor vehicle, computer, appliance, tyre and cellphone dealers, real estate agents and sellers of goods covered by the three product safety standards (toys, bicycles and children's night-clothes).

These are business areas that the Commission has identified as raising specific compliance issues.

The Ministry will be focusing on motor vehicle and second-hand dealers and finance brokers.

Seminar details

Venue: Montrose Room, Gateway Hotel, 206 Kirkbride Road, Mangere

Date: Wednesday March 3

Time: 6-8pm (doors open 5.30pm)

Cost: $25 (inc.GST) per head includes finger food (no charge for reporters). Cheques to Commerce Commission PO Box 2351, Wellington. Door sales will be available from 5.30pm.

Speakers: Commerce Commission Fair Trading Manager Rachel Leamy

Ministry of Consumer Affairs Advisor (Legal) Debbie Cairns

Commerce Commission staff in Manukau March 1-3

Chief Investigator Janet Whiteside, Investigators Liz Leamy, Nicki Squire, Merv Theobald, Graeme Wood, Enquiries Officers Leonie Boyd and Karen Cramer and Projects Officer Boris van Beusekom.

Ministry of Consumer Affairs staff in Manukau March 1-3

Advisors (Legal) Jeanette Harris, Debbie Cairns, Projects Advisor Efi Efaraimo and Trading Standards Officer Malcolm Milburn.

Media contacts

Commerce Commission

Chief Investigator Janet Whiteside, cellphone 021 650 476, work (09) 377 7311

Communications Officer Vincent Cholewa, phone work (04) 498 0920,

Ministry of Consumer Affairs

Advisor (Legal) Jeanette Harris, cellphone 025 230 8056, work(09) 276 9649

Communications Advisor Judy Cochrane , cellphone 025 230 8058, work (04) 470 2302

Commerce Commission

The Commerce Commission exists to bring about awareness and acceptance of, and compliance with, the Commerce and Fair Trading Acts.

Fair Trading Act

The Fair Trading Act prohibits false or misleading representations, and gives the Minister of Consumer Affairs the power to make product safety and consumer information standards mandatory. It generally applies before a sale is made.

There are three product safety standards made mandatory by the Fair Trading Act. They are for:

? bicycles

? fire safety of children's night clothes

? toys for children aged up to three years (to prevent choking)

There are three consumer information standards made compulsory by the Act. They are:

? country of origin labelling for clothing and footwear

? fibre content of textile goods

? care labelling of textile goods

Recent action by the Commission in Auckland includes:

? a franchisor was ordered to pay $157 compensation to investors

? a director and his four companies were fined a total of $130,000 for issuing false invoices for advertising

? two people involved in the Black Magic pyramid selling scheme were ordered to pay fines and costs totalling $29,000

? a retailer was fined $25,000 for three charges of selling unsafe bicycles

? a company was fined $9,000 for misleading claims that a trial of contact lenses was free

? a retailer was fined $8,100 for selling children's night clothes that did not have the correct fire warning labels

? a retailer was fined $2,500 plus $409.95 costs for not clearly disclosing that telephones were second-hand

Education

The Commission puts considerable effort into educating business people about the Fair Trading Act. As well as media publicity, it holds seminars, visits areas where it has no office, provides speakers for conferences and works in particular with nation-wide traders. It also publishes two newsletters and a wide range of free pamphlets about the Acts it enforces.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs exists to work with consumers and business to promote a fair and informed market place for consumers.

Consumer Information Service

Provides assistance to target consumers through the Consumer Advocacy Team. Provides support, assistance and training to community agencies such as Citizens' Advice Bureaux, Budget Advice Services and Community Law Centres. Works with business on areas of compliance with consumer law and provision of written resources. Develops written resources for consumers, traders, business, schools and TOPs programmes.

NB. The Consumer Information Service targets Maori, Pacific Island and low income consumers. Businesses of particular interest to the Service are those who have, as a high customer base, our target consumers.

Trading Standards Service

Works to ensure that goods are safe and are exchanged on the basis of recognised, informed and accurate weight or measure. Administers and enforces the Weights and Measures Act 1987. Investigates short measure and product safety complaints, and upholds consumers' rights to safe products and services under the Fair Trading Act. Provides policy advice to Government on weights and measures for use in trade; and about safety issues with consumer goods (with a particular focus on child products).

Recent work has involved prosecutions for short measure firewood, developing a major trader programme in trade measurement; and investigations into the safety of disposable cigarette lighters, prams, strollers and cots.

Consumer Policy

Advises the Government on laws, practices and policies that affect consumers.

Administers the Consumer Guarantees Act, the Fair Trading Act, Hire Purchase Act, Unsolicited Goods and Services Act, Layby Sales Act and the Credit Repossession Act.

Much of the policy division's work is project based. One current project involves the consumer credit market and an assessment of the need for a general review of the consumer credit law.

The Consumer Guarantees Act.

The Act sets guarantees that consumer goods and services must meet. Consumer goods are those normally acquired for personal, domestic or household use. It also sets out the remedies available when the guarantees are not met. The Act will generally apply after a sale is made.