Dáil debates

Wednesday, 11 May 2022

Consumer Rights Bill 2022: Second Stage

 

5:32 pm

Photo of Jennifer Murnane O'ConnorJennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As previous speakers said, the Bill brings with it a number of positive changes for consumers, including stronger consumer rights, protection and remedies. With the explosion in online trading, digital streaming and downloading and the move away from the high street and local traders, this is so important. Once upon a time, if you wanted to buy a television, you walked to your local main street and bought one from the man your mammy would have known or the shop your family would have gone to. If there was a problem with it, you could go back to the main street and get it sorted the next day. We have seen huge change since then. It is important we have this Bill.

Some consumers are getting caught out with faulty goods and breaches of their rights, so it is right and proper that we protect them. Even more important now is protection in the cloud space, where digital products such as music are bought and sold. It is welcome that the Bill will bring consumer protection to digital goods and services in order that cloud services and downloadable and streamed goods are covered by the same arrangements as a television bought in a shop. That product protection is better when we look at the redress which will come to the customer, and it will have to come quickly. That question has been asked. We need clarification on the timing of it.

There are also long-term issues with the policing of all this and what exactly the laws on this are. I know that the Minister of State will come back to us on that. For too long, products downloaded or streamed from the cloud or other means have been left unregulated, and that has not always been good for the consumer. This Bill will stamp out misleading information on sites. The banning of fake reviews is especially welcome. We have to trust other customers' experiences of services. For too long, suspect reviews have been allowed to go unchallenged and customers have lost out. We absolutely must support this legislation to place a legal obligation on traders to ensure that any reviews on their websites are from real and verified consumers. We cannot allow a business to show only its best side with reviews from friends and family. That is important. For the social media operator, this will be a really important clarification. We have seen during the Covid pandemic the surge in online shopping. This Bill will go a long way towards stamping out bad actors who have surfaced during the surge in online shopping. The one thing I have learned about from the pandemic and from speaking to many of my friends and various other people is the surge in online shopping. I have been taken aback by it. Having spoken even today to a friend of mine, I understand that online shopping for clothes in particular seems to have surged during Covid and seems to be continuing now.

As previous speakers said, this legislation will be so important. We have to do this. In fact, we are late to the game. The digital content directive and the revised sale of goods directive were due to be in force on the first day of this year. Coming down the tracks is the European electronic communications code, which seeks to incorporate new rules which share a similar consumer-first focus with this Bill. Like other speakers, I welcome the Bill. It is so important now, given the surge in online shopping. People have been looking for this. It is important we get it through as quickly as possible. I know that when he comes to Carlow at the end of the month, the Minister of State will visit many people in my constituency and will be able to give them a lot of information on this. Again, I fully support the Bill and its progression. Other Deputies have spoken about amendments and how we will focus on them. While there will be amendments, it is important that the Bill goes through as soon as possible.

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