Summary:
The Consumer Protection Act make new provisions for the protection and safety of consumers, and for connected purposes.
Description:
General Overview
The Consumer Protection Act creates a broad regulatory framework covering all business-to-consumer transactions in Barbados, targeting false and misleading representations of goods (sections 12, 13, 15 and 16) as well as bait advertising (section 19) and misleading statements (section 22).
Who is covered
- Consumers (defined under section 2).
- Producers (under Part V).
- Suppliers (under section 48).
What is covered
The Act applies to goods and services supplied in Barbados. Furthermore, it regulates conduct and representations made in connection with that supply. This includes misleading or deceptive conduct (section 12) and false or misleading representations (section 13).
Key provisions
Considering FULL purposes the law provides:
- Section 12 with a prohibition of a supplier from engaging in conduct that is misleading or deceptive, or likely to mislead or deceive, in trade or commerce. The provision applies broadly and other provisions of the Act do not limit it.
- Additionally, section 13 proscribes false representations about goods. Specifically, a supplier cannot falsely represent that goods are of a particular standard, quality, grade, composition, style or model. Moreover, a supplier cannot falsely represent that the goods have had a particular history or previous use.
- Section 15 prohibits conduct that misleads the public about the nature, manufacturing process, characteristics, suitability for purpose, or quantity of goods.