Consumer rights advice
City Advice can help you understand your consumer rights. We offer free, impartial and confidential consumer rights advice to anyone who lives, works or studies in the City of London. When you buy goods or services the law protects your rights as a consumer. We can help if you’re treated unfairly or when things go wrong, this includes:
• Credit and store cards
• Faulty goods
• Counterfeit goods
• Poor service
• Rogue traders
What are my consumer rights?
City Advice provides support and advice on issues around buying goods or services. We can act as the first port of call before you go to trading standards. When you buy goods or services you have consumer rights, these are there to protect you from unfair treatment. The City Advice team can advise you on your rights, on how to take action and will help you with any correspondence to help your case.
The Direct Gov website has a consumer rights section that contains information on your rights and the law
Call the General Advice Line: 020 7392 2919 (Mon-Fri 10am – 5pm)
“I visited the City Advice drop-in for help when my benefits were stopped. It’s a long story but I suffer from severe depression as I was imprisoned and tortured for my political beliefs. I have no family in the UK as I had to leave them all behind when I came here in 2001. When I first went to City Advice I was in a bad situation. I had no money and I was getting into arrears with my rent. City Advice were able to help me to appeal the decision and get my benefits reinstated. I cannot begin to think what I would have done if I had not found them. Life is better now and I hope to be able to afford to see my family this year.”
Albert, City Advice client
Jasmine’s Story
“I can now sleep well without worrying about debt”
Jasmine came to Toynbee Hall for debt advice in relation to an outstanding Major Work repairs debt carried out on her property. Jasmine, widowed and suffering from long term ill health, was harassed by her landlord who was demanding she pay the outstanding figure of over £3,000 in full and referred Jasmine’s debt to their solicitor to issue her with a forfeiture of her leasehold. She was clearly very distressed and in tears when she came to see us.
Our advisor discovered that Jasmine was not getting any help with her service charge as a leaseholder and also noted that client had not defaulted on her Major Work Repair repayment. We advised Jasmine that she was entitled to get help with repayment of her Major Work Repair bill but unfortunately, she was out of time to make a claim. However, we were able to help client to apply for assistance with Service charge payment and client claim was successful.
We also challenged client landlord for unfairness in relation to harassment as Jasmine has not defaulted on her major work repayment. Based on our action, the landlord backed off on the legal action against Jasmine.
