Consumer Guarantees Act 1993

Introduction

You could also call this:

"Ensuring fair and confident buying and selling for everyone"

This law aims to create a fair trading environment for you and businesses. It protects your interests as a consumer and helps businesses compete fairly. The goal is for everyone to feel confident when buying and selling things.

The law gives you certain guarantees when you buy goods or services from a supplier. For example, when you buy something, it should be reasonably safe, fit for its purpose, and of acceptable quality. When you get a service, it should be done with reasonable care and skill.

If the goods or services you receive don't meet these guarantees, you have rights to seek help or compensation from the suppliers and manufacturers. This means you can take action if something you bought isn't as good as it should be or if a service wasn't done properly.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM311052.

Highlights from this law

6: Guarantee as to acceptable quality

Goods you buy should be good enough to use

7: Meaning of acceptable quality

What it means for something you buy or hire to be good enough

8: Guarantees as to fitness for particular purpose

Products must work for what you want to use them for

28: Guarantee as to reasonable care and skill

Services must be done carefully and properly

18: Options against suppliers where goods do not comply with guarantees

What you can do if something you bought doesn't work properly

32: Options of consumers where services do not comply with guarantees

What you can do if a service doesn't meet the promises made to you

43: No contracting out except for business transactions

You must follow the Act's rules, except for some business deals

45: Liability for representations

Who is responsible when promises are made about goods you buy

Topics:

Money and consumer rights > Consumer protectionBusiness > Fair trading

1: Short Title and commencement, or

"This law's name and when it started working"

Consumer Guarantees Act 1993

Reprint as at:: 2019-10-29
Assent:: 1993-08-20
Commencement:: see section 1(2)

Changes authorised by subpart 2 of Part 2 of the Legislation Act 2012 have been made in this official reprint.

Note 4 at the end of this reprint provides a list of the amendments incorporated.

This Act is administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment.