In this section
Trading Standards
For more information on the work of Trading Standards Services and the possible consequences of not abiding by the law, please see 'Trading Standards: powers, enforcement and penalties'.
In this update
Detail added to reflect the changes made by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (and associated Regulations) to the law on unfair commercial practices and alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Last reviewed / updated: September 2026
Key legislation
- Law Reform (Frustrated Contracts) Act 1943
- Misrepresentation Act 1967
- Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977
- Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008
- Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013
- Consumer Rights Act 2015
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (Alternative Dispute Resolution) (Information) Regulations 2026
< Part 4. When things go wrong
Please note
This information is intended for guidance; only the courts can give an authoritative interpretation of the law.
The guide's 'Key legislation' links go to the legislation.gov.uk website. The site usually updates the legislation to include any amendments made to it. However, this is not always the case. Information on all changes made to legislation can be found by following the above links and clicking on the 'More Resources' tab.