Much has changed since those days, including the advisability of helping anyone who has a grievance if you are not covered by legal insurance. At least you can discuss their problem as long as you make it clear you cannot give legal advice as such and finish up suggesting where they might get further help. If you are in that category you will find parts of The Law of Consumer Protection and Fair Trading a fascinating read. The early chapters give an interesting rundown on the history of consumer protection and then ask "Why protect the consumer?" No doubt you have your own answers.
The book is longer and more comprehensive than the student textbooks separately published by Peter Shears and Geoffrey Woodroffe, both members of the NfCG Legislation Committee.
There is a chapter on protective legislation and another on the Consumer Credit Act. Goods and Services are of course fully covered. European Legislation is taken into account. There are sections on the nationalised industries and on food safety and weights and measures.
Throughout there are quotations from cases which are gathered together under a case index and examples of how the law is applied. A chapter describes processes for the enforcement of consumer rights, civil and criminal proceedings, legal aid and advice as well as the relationship between the High Court and the county court as it depends on the 1991 legislation.
There is also a useful summary of specific consumer criminal legislation.
This book goes into great detail regarding consumer legislation and, quite apart from its use as a source of reference, it could be a fascinating read if only one had the time to get through its almost 500 pages. Perhaps the price of £25.95 is a little off-putting but it's not unusual for a textbook of this size.
(The Law of Consumer Protection and Fair Trading 6th edition by Brian W Harvey and Deborah L Perry is published by Butterworths London 2000 @ £25.95 (ISBN 0 406 93062 7)
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