 Comparative
Report on Consumer Policy Regimes.
A
comparative study of consumer policy regimes identifying how
the UK’s consumer policy regime compares with those of our
OECD partner countries.
  Main
Report |
|
| Country
Reports |
| Australia |
Canada |
| Denmark |
France |
| Germany |
Italy |
| Japan |
The
Netherlands |
| United
Kingdom |
United
States |
| European
Union |
Summary
Table |
 Consumer
Direct - An Introduction
The Department is developing
a new
national consumer helpline - Consumer
Direct.
This
booklet gives the background to the Consumer Direct project, the
rationale behind
it and answers "How"?, "What?" and
"When?" questions.
Consumer
Direct Introduction (12 pages)
 Consumer
Knowledge Performance Monitor 2003
The
objectives of the research was to update the findings of
previous research conducted in January
2001 and January 2002 about the public’s knowledge of consumer
rights, ease of access to information about these rights and
awareness of consumer organisations. The report provides
comparisons against the 2001 and 2002 results.
2003
Report
(18 pages).
 The
Impact of Regulation on Competition in Automotives
The DTI
commissioned Frontier Economics to undertake a study of the
impact that Government regulations have on competition in the
automotive industry. The study was intended to contribute to
the Government’s competition and regulation agenda,
providing information on how regulations can affect
competition in general terms, by analysing the effects in one
industry.
Report
(100 pages).
 DTI
Economics Paper No. 1
Bundling, Tying, and Portfolio
Effects by Professor Barry Nalebuff, Yale
University.
The DTI
commissioned this research to look at the economic and policy
implications of bundling, tying and portfolio effects. These
issues have played a central role in a number of recent high
profile cases in both Europe and the United States. Part one
addresses the conceptual and theoretical issues; Part two
consists of thirteen case studies.
Part
1 - Conceptual Issues.
Part
2 - Case Studies.
For
information on Professor Nalebuff please
click here.
 Be
Garage Wise – Don’t get taken for a ride when you take
your car in for a service
This
leaflet provides information on what you should expect from a
good garage, taking charge of your visit to a garage and some
helpful tips on the most common servicing items.
(171Kb) Be Garage
Wise leaflet.
Click on this button to have a shorter printed version posted to
you.
 Car
Servicing and Repair: mystery shopping research
Following
the Report of the Task Force on Car Servicing and Repair the
DTI commissioned research to provide an up to date picture of
the service consumers receive in the car servicing and repair
market. 207 garages and 58 fast-fit business were
mystery shopped between March and June 2002. The work
was carried out for the DTI by Intertek Testing Services
Research and Testing Centre. The results are contained
in this report.
(363Kb) Car Servicing
and Repair: Mystery Shopping research.
 Car
servicing and Repairs: Research into trade and consumer
interest in a national “good garage” scheme.
Market
research was commissioned by the DTI as part of the follow-up
work to the Report of the Task Force on Car Servicing and
Repair to provide information on interest in a national
voluntary and self-financing “good garage” scheme of the
type described in the Task Force. The research was carried out
by NOP Automotive and this report contains the results.
(351Kb) Car servicing
and Repairs: Research into trade and consumer interest in a
national “good garage” scheme.
For more
information about cars and your rights visit the Consumer
Gateway.
 Impact
of Product Labelling
Schemes
The DTI
commissioned research to look at the impact of labelling
schemes. Available literature was reviewed and conclusions
drawn about which characteristics of labels and labelling
schemes were effective in terms of meeting their objectives,
and which were not. The effective schemes were also assessed
on the ways in which they were effective and the reasons for
it. The results are contained in this report.
Report (303Kb)
Annex (questionnaire used) (33Kb)
 Guide
to the Consumer Protection Act 1987
A guide to the
working of the consumer safety and product liability
provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.
This guide
explains in general terms how the product liability and
consumer safety provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 1987
work.
(207Kb)
 National
Performance Standards for Trading Standards
As part of the
Government’s commitment to modernising the Trading Standards
service Consumer Affairs Minister, Melanie Johnson launched a
National Performance Framework. The framework developed in
co-operation with LACOTS, TSI, NWML and the OFT aims to ensure
that Trading Standards services throughout the UK are able to
develop a modern service which works towards national and
local priorities in a coherent way. Click
Here for more details.
MS Word Document 
 Guidelines
for Government Support for Product Labelling Schemes
The lead Department
for co-ordinating product labelling policy is the Department
of Trade and Industry which provides the secretariat for an
Interdepartmental Group on Product Labelling. The Group has
produced the attached policy guidelines on the issues to be
taken into account when Government support for new product
labelling proposals are being considered.
(251Kb)
 What
Can I do if Adverts Mislead or Offend me?
This
booklet provides information on what to do if you wish to
complain about an advertisement you believe to be misleading,
or if you find an advert offensive.
(607Kb)
Click this button to request a printed version.
 Empowering
Consumers in the Enterprise Economy
This
booklet sets out the consumer measures proposed in the
Enterprise Bill announced in the Queen’s Speech. The
measures aim to improve the information available to
consumers, promote consumer interests in competition,
modernise consumer protection legislation and improve the
performance of enforcement bodies.
(189Kb)
Click this button to request a printed version.
 Informing
Consumers About E-Commerce
The
DTI commissioned independent research on consumer
attitudes and perceptions of the Internet as a place to shop.
These reports show the findings of the research.
Full Report
(147Kb)
Summary
of the Report:(108Kb)
a printed version of the
summary.
 General Product
Safety Regulations 1994 - Guidance for Businesses Consumers and
Enforcement Authorities.
The
Department of Trade and Industry has produced a Guide to The
Regulations explaining the requirements in more detail.
 15
pages
 Environmental
Claims on Products - Two Reports
DTI
commissioned a consultancy on the feasibility of verifying
environmental claims on products. The Feasibility Report
concluded that an advisory panel on green claims offered a
more promising way forward than a verification scheme.
(347Kb)
A
subsequent report considered the structure and operation of a
Green Claims Panel and made recommendations.
(212Kb)
 Consumer
Knowledge Performance Monitor 2001
The DTI
commissioned independent research to measure and assess
consumers' knowledge of their rights.
Under
Consumer & Competition Policy Directorate's Public Service
Agreement, we are committed to achieving a fairer deal for
consumers. This will be measured by the level of consumer
knowledge and understanding of rights and sources of
information.
The
findings of this survey provide a baseline against which any
changes over the next three years can be tracked.
Research report.
Order
a printed copy of the report.
 Mobile
Phone Price Transparency Report
The DTI
commissioned research into how easily consumers could get
value for money when buying a mobile phone package, and
whether the format of presented information helped or hindered
the selection process. The report found that consumers
generally received good advice that reflected their expected
patterns of usage, either from sales staff or from friends and
family members. Printed information about tariffs was,
however, often obscure. An increasing range of packages was
being made available to customers, including monthly
contracts, pre-pay and "tariff optimisation",
indicating greater flexibility to their needs.
Executive summary (252
Kb).
Full report MS Word format
(737 Kb).
Users without the full version of Microsoft Word may download
the free Microsoft Word 97/2000 Viewer by clicking
here.
 The
Consumer Knowledge Survey
An
independent consumer research survey to assess and measure
consumer knowledge and skills.
The survey
looks at what knowledge consumers have of their rights in a
range of issues from returning faulty items to knowing who to
complain to regarding goods and services.
Consumer Knowledge
Survey
Switching
Suppliers: an independent consumer research study to evaluate
whether consumers are able to switch supplier with ease.
This is
the first major study on switching to look across a number of
markets including energy, telecomms (both mobile and
fixed-line), car and home insurance, mortgages and banking and
compare how the consumer fares in each
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Executive
Summary
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Part 1 Introduction
&
Methodology.
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Part 2
Key factors. Key findings.
Consumer characteristics.
The markets.
Conclusions.
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