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I seriously doubt that consumer protection laws in the US are better than consumer protection laws in the EU.

by mercurial 10y ago

robk 10y ago
It's a hell of a lot easier to do a chargeback in the US vs the UK.
- johansch 10y ago
  Sure. But I've always heard that's because of CC company policies rather than laws?
- superuser2 10y ago
  It's easy to say "this charge is fraudulent, I didn't make it" and your credit card company will make it go away and mail you a new card. Neither Citi nor Capital One entertain "I made this charge but I don't want to pay it because I'm angry at the merchant for bad service" (or whatever) easily. At minimum you have to prove that you tried to remedy the problem with the merchant and they're refusing.
dgacmu 10y ago
They are, when it comes to bank fraud. Particularly the UK. See, for example, a lot of Ross Anderson's work, such as: https://www.benthamsgaze.org/2016/06/02/international-comparison-of-bank-fraud-reimbursement-customer-perceptions-and-contractual-terms/ https://www.benthamsgaze.org/2016/06/02/international-compar...
yardie 10y ago
In some instances it is better. In other circumstances it is not. One silly example that happened to me. I bought a dishwasher and it had a problem. Under EU law, the retailer covers the warranty the first year and then the manufacturer warranty kicks in for years 2 and 3. Under the manufacturer's warranty they would dispatch a technician to my home. But the for the first year I would have to carry this big bulky appliance back to the store for them to look at and repair it. In the end I sat on the problem for a few months until the "real" warranty kicked in and had a technician come out. I don't think this was intentional but an oversight in the original consumer protection law.
- ptaipale 10y ago
  Actually, that's not the EU law. EU law states that the retailer is responsible for a 2-year guarantee, full stop. Member countries may then legislate stronger protection if they like. http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guar... Thus, local legislation in an EU country may give better protection; for instance, here (Finland) there is an additional defect liability which says that if an item is supposed to last longer than 2 years (e.g. a dishwasher), then the liability "wears out" over the reasonably expectable lifetime of product. You won't get a refund if a 6 year old washing machine breaks (yes, I won't buy another LG), but you can get a partial refund if a 3 year old machine breaks down. This liability falls on the retailer; importer/manufacturer has only secondary liability.

I seriously doubt that consumer protection laws in the US are better than consumer protection laws in the EU.

robk 10y ago

It's a hell of a lot easier to do a chargeback in the US vs the UK.

johansch 10y ago
Sure. But I've always heard that's because of CC company policies rather than laws?
superuser2 10y ago
It's easy to say "this charge is fraudulent, I didn't make it" and your credit card company will make it go away and mail you a new card. Neither Citi nor Capital One entertain "I made this charge but I don't want to pay it because I'm angry at the merchant for bad service" (or whatever) easily. At minimum you have to prove that you tried to remedy the problem with the merchant and they're refusing.

dgacmu 10y ago

They are, when it comes to bank fraud. Particularly the UK. See, for example, a lot of Ross Anderson's work, such as: https://www.benthamsgaze.org/2016/06/02/international-comparison-of-bank-fraud-reimbursement-customer-perceptions-and-contractual-terms/ https://www.benthamsgaze.org/2016/06/02/international-compar...

yardie 10y ago

In some instances it is better. In other circumstances it is not. One silly example that happened to me. I bought a dishwasher and it had a problem. Under EU law, the retailer covers the warranty the first year and then the manufacturer warranty kicks in for years 2 and 3. Under the manufacturer's warranty they would dispatch a technician to my home. But the for the first year I would have to carry this big bulky appliance back to the store for them to look at and repair it. In the end I sat on the problem for a few months until the "real" warranty kicked in and had a technician come out. I don't think this was intentional but an oversight in the original consumer protection law.

ptaipale 10y ago
Actually, that's not the EU law. EU law states that the retailer is responsible for a 2-year guarantee, full stop. Member countries may then legislate stronger protection if they like. http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guarantees-returns/index_en.htm http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/guar... Thus, local legislation in an EU country may give better protection; for instance, here (Finland) there is an additional defect liability which says that if an item is supposed to last longer than 2 years (e.g. a dishwasher), then the liability "wears out" over the reasonably expectable lifetime of product. You won't get a refund if a 6 year old washing machine breaks (yes, I won't buy another LG), but you can get a partial refund if a 3 year old machine breaks down. This liability falls on the retailer; importer/manufacturer has only secondary liability.