USED GOODS
If you buy used goods from
a trader in a market, they must meet the three main legal conditions.
That is, they must be of satisfactory quality, properly described
and fit for any specified purpose.
The local council licenses
the stallholders and, if you’ve any trouble, go and see them.
If your complaint is to do
with a false claim or misleading description, contact the Trading
Standards Service.
If it is about unfit food or
the safety of consumer goods, get in touch with the Environmental
Health Department of the council for the market’s area.
Be very careful when you’re
buying used goods at an auction. The law treats auctions as "trade
sales" and so most of the normal consumer protection law does
not apply. But the law does not allow auctioneers to describe goods
falsely or to misrepresent them.
The law gives you the least
protection on used goods which you buy privately.
The only rule which the private
seller has to obey is that the goods must be properly described.
If you’re buying privately, it’s a good idea to bring
a witness with you and to ask lots of questions about the history
and condition of the goods. If any claim turns out later to have
been untrue, you may be able to claim your money back.
Because the law is so limited
for private sales, some traders try to pass themselves off as private
sellers.
So be on your guard if, for
example, a so called private seller offers to bring the car he has
for sale, round to your house for inspection.
This is not normal behaviour
and it may be an attempt to keep you from seeing lots of cars parked
at his house and from realising that he is, in fact, a used car
dealer. You should always report such sellers to the Trading Standards
Service.
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