External Legislation Affect The Delivery Of Customer Service

External legislation is enforced to protect customers. As a result a range of types of legislation are used which all affect the delivery of customer service. The consumer protection legislation includes The Sale of Goods Act 1979, Trade Descriptions Act 1968, Consumer Credit Act 1974 and the Bill of Rights all of which aim to protect consumers. The first act listed states what points the sellers of goods and services must meet making sure the goods are of suitable quality and are appropriate for purpose. The second act states that it is an offence to make untrue declarations about products or services. The third act includes the detail and type of credit agreements and the Bill of Rights covers areas of equality, making sure customers get what they pay for and that products are given with satisfactory care.

Data protection is another aspect which must be considered. The Data Protection Act 1998 gives strict rules covering collecting, storing and using personal information about customers and staff. This says that personal details should be kept secure and only used for reasons for which it is gained and not kept for longer than necessary. If information is used for other reasons that what it is collected for, then this could cause problems. To prevent this from happening, an ‘opt-in’

For example, legally retailers should replace or give a refund for goods that are faulty but there is not legal option for customer to take goods back just because the customer has changed their mind. However, many companies will provide a full refund no matter what the reason for the return is. Those involved in customer service must ensure that they do nothing accidentally to break existing laws. If an organisations decides to open a new customer service desk, it should be considered as to whether someone in a wheel chair can access