this is great news for all!
Move to give them the right to demand that sellers repair or replace goods
By TEH SHI NING
PROPOSED changes to Singapore's consumer protection law will give buyers greater recourse to legal remedy should they land a 'lemon' or defective good.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) is seeking feedback from the public, businesses, and business associations over the next six weeks on proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act.
These changes will give buyers the right to demand that sellers repair or replace goods sold to them which are of less than satisfactory quality.
In addition, if the seller of defective goods fails to repair or replace such goods within a reasonable time or only with significant inconvenience, the buyer can also ask for a discount or a refund.
MTI is also proposing that these same provisions for repair and replacement of 'lemons' be extended to the Hire Purchase Act (HPA) by making the implied terms consistent with the Sales of Goods Act and Supply of Goods Act.
This will allow consumers to make use of the new provisions for repair and replacement once there is a breach of implied terms, whether or not they buy goods under a hire purchase or normal sales agreement.
It is also proposing that the value caps on HPA's implied terms be removed to allow consumers to demand repair or replacement from sellers in breach of these terms even when the value of their goods exceeds the caps.
This public consultation exercise, which will last till Jan 31, 2011, follows recommendations from a task force of business and public agency representatives, jointly led by MTI and the Consumers Association of Singapore.
Formed in September 2008, the task force was to determine whether Singapore needed 'lemon laws' - laws that provide consumers with remedies against latent defects in goods which fail to meet quality and performance standards, especially after repeated repairs.
Singapore's legislation already has key features of lemon laws as implemented in developed economies such as the US and the UK, the task force found.
But it recommended adding express provisions for repair and replacement to 'empower consumers to seek these remedies from retailers, and to give greater latitude to the courts when considering what remedies to award to a consumer'.
Move to give them the right to demand that sellers repair or replace goods
By TEH SHI NING
PROPOSED changes to Singapore's consumer protection law will give buyers greater recourse to legal remedy should they land a 'lemon' or defective good.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) is seeking feedback from the public, businesses, and business associations over the next six weeks on proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act.
These changes will give buyers the right to demand that sellers repair or replace goods sold to them which are of less than satisfactory quality.
In addition, if the seller of defective goods fails to repair or replace such goods within a reasonable time or only with significant inconvenience, the buyer can also ask for a discount or a refund.
MTI is also proposing that these same provisions for repair and replacement of 'lemons' be extended to the Hire Purchase Act (HPA) by making the implied terms consistent with the Sales of Goods Act and Supply of Goods Act.
This will allow consumers to make use of the new provisions for repair and replacement once there is a breach of implied terms, whether or not they buy goods under a hire purchase or normal sales agreement.
It is also proposing that the value caps on HPA's implied terms be removed to allow consumers to demand repair or replacement from sellers in breach of these terms even when the value of their goods exceeds the caps.
This public consultation exercise, which will last till Jan 31, 2011, follows recommendations from a task force of business and public agency representatives, jointly led by MTI and the Consumers Association of Singapore.
Formed in September 2008, the task force was to determine whether Singapore needed 'lemon laws' - laws that provide consumers with remedies against latent defects in goods which fail to meet quality and performance standards, especially after repeated repairs.
Singapore's legislation already has key features of lemon laws as implemented in developed economies such as the US and the UK, the task force found.
But it recommended adding express provisions for repair and replacement to 'empower consumers to seek these remedies from retailers, and to give greater latitude to the courts when considering what remedies to award to a consumer'.
