The Commerce Commission and Ministry of Consumer Affairs will be visiting the Wairarapa on Tuesday September 7 to Wednesday September 8 to visit shops and businesses 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 Wairarapa business people are invited to attend. The seminar will be on Wednesday at 6pm at the Copthorne Resort Solway Park.

The Chief Investigator from the Commission's Wellington office, Ross McPherson, said that the visit is part of a planned programme of reaching traders. "These visits are educative, not investigative," he said. "We aim to raise awareness of and compliance with the Fair Trading Act, Consumer Guarantees Act and other consumer legislation. These are important laws which affect them every day. We want people to understand how to operate within the law to protect themselves and their customers."

Ministry of Consumer Affairs Trader Co-ordinator Pamela Rogers said, " Although the Consumer Guarantees Act is now five years old the Ministry continues to receive enquiries from traders and their customers about the basics of the Act. For example many customers think that they have a seven day right of return for goods, which isn't the case. Our visit to the Wairarapa also provides traders with a unique opportunity to question our staff about other consumer laws which affect them in the operation of their business".

On this visit the Commission will be focusing on motor vehicle, and appliance dealers, real estate agents, sellers of health and weight loss products, rental car providers and sellers of goods covered by the four product safety standards (toys, bicycles, cigarette lighters and children's night-clothes).

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

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs will be focusing on motor vehicle dealers, second-hand traders and small finance companies.

Seminar details

Venue:

 Copthorne Resort Solway Park, Masterton

Date:

Wednesday September 8

Time:

6pm - 8pm (doors open 5.30pm)

Cost:

$18 (inc. GST) per head includes finger food (no charge for reporters)

Cheques to Commerce Commission, PO Box 2351, Wellington, phone

(04) 498 0914, fax (04) 471 0771 (door sales will be available on the night)

Speakers:

 Commerce Commission Fair Trading Manager Rachel Leamy

Ministry of Consumer Affairs Trader Co-ordinator Pamela Rogers

Commerce Commission staff in the Wairarapa September 7-8

Fair Trading Chief Investigator Ross McPherson, Projects Officer Boris van Beusekom and Investigator Graeme Wood.

Ministry of Consumer Affairs staff in the Wairarapa September 7-8

Trader Co-ordinator Pamela Rogers, Advisor Hoki-mai Chong and Trading Standards Officer Mary Waller.

Media contacts

Commerce Commission

Chief Investigator Ross McPherson, work (04) 4980 909

Communications Officer Vincent Cholewa, phone work (04) 498 092032

Ministry of Consumer Affairs

Trader Co-ordinator Pamela Rogers, work 04 474 2928

Communications Advisor Judy Cochrane, 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 currently four 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)
  • cigarette lighters

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

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 marketplace for consumers.

The 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.

    • 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.

    The 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.

    The Consumer Policy Section:

  • 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.