Enforcement Action Taken against Expert Ireland Retail PLC
December 22, 2015
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (“the Commission”) has today published details of enforcement action taken against Expert Ireland Retail PLC (Expert Ireland). Following an investigation the Commission found that Expert Ireland did not provide online customers with the correct information about their right to return goods. Furthermore they did not inform consumers that Expert Ireland is legally obliged to supply goods which are in conformity with the contract, i.e. the goods delivered match the description on the website.
To ensure that customers of Expert Ireland can avail of their consumer rights the Commission issued two Compliance Notices directing the company to correct the information it provides and to change their cancellation process.
Following the Commission’s intervention Expert Ireland updated its website so that consumers are advised of their legal rights regarding the return of faulty goods and their cancellation rights when buying online. The company has also changed its cancellation process.
Expert Ireland’s non-compliance related to the European Union (Consumer Information, Cancellation and Other Rights) Regulations 2013, referred to as the Consumer Rights Directive. This legislation relates to distance contracts and provides consumers with a cancellation period in which they have the right to cancel an order, without providing any reason. For products bought online the cancellation period expires 14 days after the goods are received. Consumers then have a further 14 days from that point to return the goods.
This action is the latest taken by the Commission in 2015 as part of our activity to ensure compliance with the Consumer Rights Directive across the economy. Compliance Notices were previously issued to eircom eMobile, Meteor, Three, UPC, Vodafone and Arnotts.
For details of the requirements set out under the Consumer Rights Directive businesses can visit the Compliance for Business section.
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