CCPC acts against 18 traders over breaches
The consumer-protection watchdog has published details of 31 enforcement actions taken against traders across the country for breaches of consumer law.
The actions taken by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) include fixed-payment notices and compliance notices to 18 traders for a range of consumer-rights breaches.
The breaches, uncovered after CCPC inspections and investigations, included failure to comply with price-display laws and giving consumers misleading information about their rights.
Compliance notice
A compliance notice is a written legal notice that the CCPC can issue to a trader who has committed or is currently committing a prohibited act or practice.
The notice directs the trader to stop a certain practice and obey the law by a certain date. Failure to do so can lead to prosecution.
A fixed-payment notice is a set fine of €300 that the CCPC can issue to traders for failing to correctly display prices or failing to provide certain information to a consumer.
“Whether online or in store, traders must not mislead consumers about their rights,” said CCPC chair Brian McHugh.
“Consumers must be able to compare prices, get redress for faulty goods, and use the 14-day cooling-off period for online purchases across the EU,” he added.
Price displays
The following businesses face action for a failure to display the full price on or near the products they sell:
- Cedarglade Ltd trading as (T/A) Centra, Greystones, Co Wicklow (three fixed-payment notices),
- Seafront Gold T/A Spar, Bray, Co Wicklow (two fixed-payment notices),
- Wescooley Ltd T/A Oasis Bar, Letterkenny, Co Donegal (two compliance notices),
- Dee-Al Retail Ltd T/A Spar, Dublin 8 (one fixed-payment notice),
- Glenella Foods Ltd T/A Eurospar, Ballymun, Dublin 9 (one fixed-payment notice),
- Lucy McEvilly T/A Connemara Horse and Country, Clifden, Co Galway (one fixed-payment notice),
- Pixie and Linus Ltd T/A The Hen & Hog, Ashford, Co Wicklow (one fixed-payment notice), and
- Skerries Hardware Limited T/A Skerries Hardware and Pet Centre, Skerries, Co Dublin (one fixed-payment notice).
The CCPC took action against the following for a failure to display unit pricing:
- Ballymaley Stores Ltd T/A Homesavers, Ballyshannon, Co Donegal (three fixed-payment notices),
- Corajio Unlimited Company T/A Mr Price, Kingsmeadow, Co Waterford (three fixed-payment notices),
- Rafterstreet Stores Ltd T/A Homesavers, Letterkenny, Co Donegal (three fixed-payment notices),
- Owen & Ciaran Durkin T/A Costcutter, Baile na hAbhann, Co Galway (one fixed-payment notice), and
- P&T Fitzgerald (Hardware) Ltd T/A Fitzgerald Homevalue Hardware, Dingle, Co Kerry (one fixed-payment notice).
Consumer-rights information
The following face action for providing misleading information given to consumers on their rights:
- Pure Fashions Ltd T/A pureonline.ie with an address in Letterkenny, Co Donegal (three compliance notices),
- Crean Solutions Ltd T/A MicksGarage.com with an address in Dublin 10 (two compliance notices),
- Party HQ Ltd T/A Christmas HQ in Stephens Green, Dublin 2 (one compliance notice), and
- Woodside Furniture Ltd T/A Pieces, Malahide, Co Dublin (one compliance notice).
In addition, Tongali Trading Ltd T/A Ciaran O’Flynn Jewellers, Dungarvan, Co Waterford was issued one compliance notice for failing to display a required precious-metals information notice to consumers.