V The Sale of Goods Act is the main piece of law

helping buyers to obtain redress when

their ›
 

à It is in the interest
of anyone who sells goods or services to
understand the implications of the Act for
them and the responsibilities they have under
itÃ
V uhenever you sell goods to a customer you have
certain responsibilitiesÃ
V ou must make sure the goods " conform to contract"
Ã
V This means that they must be as you describe them -
for instance, a car must be the exact model that you
say it is, of the correct engine size and with the same
number of previous owners as you tell the customer
it's hadà Describing goods inaccurately means the
customer may have a claim against you for a
 
 
 and may put you in breach of the Trade
Descriptions ActÃ
V uhenever you sell services to a customer you have
certain responsibilitiesÃ
V The Supply of Goods and Services Act, which applies
to England, uales and Northern Ireland, says that a
person providing a service must do so with "
reasonable care and skill" Ã It also requires the service
to be carried out within a " reasonable time" and for
no more than a " reasonable charge" unless there was
prior agreement with the customer about these
mattersà In Scotland, the common law has a similar
effectÃ
V The definition of the term " reasonable" will vary,
depending on the circumstancesÃ
V If you sell your customer   that don't
conform to contract - that aren't as described,
are unfit for their purpose or of unsatisfactory
quality - you are a to resolve the
problem if they seek redressÃ
V The Sale of Goods Act states that if customers
want to
 faulty goods, they have to do so
within a " reasonable time" Ã A legal definition of
" reasonable" is not given though - it varies from
case to case and could be a matter of just a few
weeks from the date of purchaseÃ
V ustomers have a number of rights under the
Supply of Goods and Services Act if they aren't
satisfied with a service you've providedÃ
V If a customer justifiably believes that you
haven't used " reasonable" care and skill, you
must ›  


 at no extra costà Failing
this they can ask another supplier to put the
work right and then claim the cost from youÃ
V A customer who you charge more for the service
than was agreed is only obliged to › ›

   themà If no price was agreed they
must pay you a " reasonable" priceÃ
V If a customer  › about goods or services
they've purchased from you, it's essential to
establish what your responsibilities are under
the Sale of Goods Act or the Supply of Goods
and Services ActÃ
V Ask yourself whether the goods are not as you
described them, unfit for their purpose, or of
unsatisfactory qualityà Ask if the services you
have provided have been delivered with
reasonable care and skill within a reasonable
time for a reasonable chargeÃ
V ustomers who are also consumers (and not
other traders) have  
 Ã These
rights last for up to six years after saleÃ
V If they do so, you should honour their
requestà But if it's impossible or
disproportionately more expensive to do
what the customer requests you are entitled
to provide the other remedyà For example, if
it's impossible to repair a product you can
offer a replacement instead
V If you've tried to resolve a customer's complaint
but the situation is , then what
happens next will depend on whether you've
acted properly and on whether the customer
decides to pursue the matterÃ
V If you accept that the customer's claim was valid
under the Sale of Goods Act but are confident
that you have offered the necessary refund,
repair or replacement you have discharged your
legal obligations even if the customer refuses to
accept thatÃ
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V wa›
V Auction sale means a public sale where the
intending buyers come together at a
particular place and quote the price at which
they are willing to buy the goodsà The price at
which the person is offering is calleddzbiddz and
the person offering the price is called the
Dzbidderdzà Generally, the goods are sold to the
highest bidderà The auction may be
conducted by the seller himself or with the
help of an auctioneerÃ
V These are types of sale of goods contract in
overseas tradeÃ
V ½ere, the price to include cost, insurance and
freightà This type of contract is more widely
used un case of sea borne commerce
V ÔeansdzFree on Boardsdz, here, the seller has
to bear the expenses to loading the goods on
to a ship à Thereafter, the goods are at buyers
risk and the buyer becomes responsible for
freights, insurance and other expensesà In
such contracts the property passes to the
buyer as soon as the goods are put on the
boardÃ