The Essential Guide Magazine Culcheth May - June 2014 | Page 32

LIVE LOCAL? BUY LOCAL!

Essential Feature

OvenU unhappy with
new EU Directive
A Warrington oven valeting expert
has hit out against “unworkable and
unpoliceable” changes to EU rules on
‘distance selling’ that will badly affect
small businesses using ‘distance’ and
door-to-door selling.

It is a potential minefield for businesses
which now have hardly any time at all to
get up to speed with the new regulations
and to implement measures that will
cushion against their burdensome
effects.”

The EU Consumer Rights Directive, which
is due to come into force on June 13, will
provide a single set of rules for distance
selling and contracts formed away from a
business’s premises anywhere in the EU.
The Distance Selling Regulations (DSRs)
are the rules that apply if businesses are
selling products or services to consumers
without face-to-face contact, and where
the consumer has not had an opportunity
to examine the goods before buying or
discuss the service in person.

Under the new directive, businesses
will need to provide consumers with a
model cancellation form to use when
cancelling contracts. It means that a vast
array of communications will need to be
changed costing businesses many

Paul Clark, business owner of Ovenu
Warrington, said: “Many business owners
may not be aware that this significant
new EU Directive comes into force soon.
It has come in almost by stealth and has
significant implications for how traders
conduct business. One of the main points
is that businesses will need to inform
consumers of their right of withdrawal
from the contract of trade, which has
increased from seven to fourteen days,
“It is a significant change which may well
be difficult to implement in practical
terms and is likely to be unpoliceable.
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hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.
This includes unaddressed or addressed
printed matter; letters; press advertising
with order forms; catalogues; telephone
with or without human intervention;
email; fax; and television (teleshopping.)
Whilst the design of the form is not
mandatory, businesses will need to
ensure that any cancellation form made
available to their customers contains all
of the information required.

Eight issues in Culcheth • Lymm • Great Sankey & Penketh • Chapelford
Stockton Heath & Appleton • Thelwall, Latchford & Grappenhall • Birchwood • Lowton & Golborne.

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