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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1980-10-09, Page 111 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ■ 1 1 1 1 1 JACK RIDDELL There has been con- siderable discussionrecently on the subject of consumer protection. Here in Ontario, the provincial government seems to'. adhere to the principle that the• consumer should be the main policing force in the marketplace, and that the consumer should be provided with the wherewithal to carry out that function. The government's role appears to consist of providing certain statutes Sports Spot Continued from page 10 were leading the Pontiacs 4-1 in the first game of their B final. The Dominion Tave.a took a 1-0 lead in their best of seven series as they defeated the D.J.'s 6-4. Ice to be put in Arena manager Rader said this Friday will be the last night of roller skating in Zurich with thea ice plant to be turned on this Tuesday. Intertown bowling , In ladies. intertown bowling Stratford Mikes defeated Zurich 4-3. Having the high triple for Zurich was Sandra Dickert with a 645. New minor athletic banquet The Zurich Minor Athletic Association will .be holding its first ever fall sports for the players and their parents who were involved in the minor soccer and minor softball programs this past spring and summer. The banquet will take place Thursday, October 30 at the Zurich arena auditorium and will have as its guest, director of sports for CFPL radio Gary Allen Price. ZIVIAA member Al Scott said tickets for the event which are priced are $4 per adult and $2 for children are available from minor soccer and softball coaches and any member, of the ZMAA executive. The evening gets un- derway at 6:30 p.m. PP ST RR PA RD TC UD AO HG LA PH AK DA HR BE. RO FL PO RE Zurich Ladies Bowling C Sweeney 535 P Schroeder 643 J Bedard 497 M Clark 559 _ E Rubeny 519 A Finley 568 B Grenier 511 M LaPorte 568 M Miller 441 B Riddell 406 R Regier 586 1) Wildfong 366 High Single Dianne Wildfong 366 • High Triple Elaine Datars 658 High Average Pat Schroeder 193 2 13 7 28 0 0 5 20 5 20 7 14 2 12 5 26 7 16 0 2 2 15 0 2 Zurich Mens Bowling R Van Dorsselaer 638 ,7 14 J Dietrich 583 - 5 M Gelina 567 2 5 JP Rau 629 M Smith 542 J Geiger 572 C Groot 584 13 Hay 652 7 - 4 5 8 3 5 4 4 High Single Bob Hay 281 High Triple Jim Dietrich 666 High Average Ray Van Dorsselaer 212 • • C tii.ns N.ws, Octob.r 9, 19 seater understanding of market place practices POg. 11 and supplying information for the consumer, par- ticularly with respect to legal rights. One area in which the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations has become involved is in the investigation , of suspected fraudulent practises through the Business Practices Division. There seems, to have been a long-standing campaign against auto transmission and repair shops. The ideal that the con- sumer should be the main policing agent in the marketplace only makes sense when allowance is made for (a) the realities of the marketplace, (b) • the difficulties inherent in- a public information distribution process, and (c) the barriers which prevent consumers from exercising their legal rights. Frequently these problems call for a positive govern- ment response. This is the case, not because the con- sumer cannot protect his or her own interests, ' but because the nature of the marketplace and- our legal processes are such that it is often not worth his or her while to take action to assert a consumer right. Let's take a look at the realities of the marketplace. The original approach in. contract law to . resolving a dispute between two parties was the legal maxim "caveat emptor" - "Let the buyer beware". Today we rarely hear that saying raised to the level of a principle. This is because the conditions of the market- place have changed. Years ago when the rule was originated, the buyer and the seller were usually on an equal footing. Nowadays, the consumer is in a far weaker position vis-a-vis the- seller the consumer has no ability to negotiate either as to the price or to the quality of the goods being sold. The fact that the seller is several stages removed from the manufacturer means that the seller is rarely in- timately familiar with the peculiarities of the product or the particulars ,of the manufacturing process which , went, into its production. The nature of advertising and marketing practices are such that little valuable information is relayed to the consumer. With the great diversity of manufacturers and retailers, the consumer stands little chance of becoming ,getter informed, If all the world's economists were placed end to end. they wouldn't reach a conclusion. PERCY BEDARD Carpenter *Custom Built Homes *Renovations *Additions *Repairs *Free Estimates . Phone 236-4873 After 6 Zurich and his or her individual protestations will have little impact on the marketplace asawhole. The other problem with thy marketplace is that at the stage of buying a product or service, the consumer receives very little in- formation about his or her contractual rights, and such rights of which he she is informed are non-negotiable. Standard --form sales contracts and warranties are unintelligibleto the average consumer, and even when deciphered cannot be changed becausethat's either "store policy" or because that contract has been adopted industry -wide and there's no relief to be bad from any seller. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Then there are the dif- ficulties which . hinder in- fdrmation-dissemination programs. A study carried Out under the auspices of the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations en- titled A Survey of Consumer Issues among the People of Ontario was released in August 1976. It indicated that most Ontarians cannot name a single consumer protection law. The actualfigure was 62 percent. On the ,other side of the ledger, among those who know something of consumer protection, not one of the laws was well-known by a large percentage. Ten percent of the respondents of the survey could name the protection offered by the -NM 11111 POI -cooling-off period. That provision of the Consumer Protection Act received the highest recognition. Let's face it, ten percent is an embarrassingly low figure! There is also, of course, the matter of the legal process. It would almost certainly be safe to say that most laypersons are either ignorant of, or intimidated by, our legal system. Indeed, it is probably true to say that the majority exhibit both of these reactions. A numhar of other factors deter people from seeking redress in the courts. There is. the question work hours lost, to whether the worthwhile, or positive results. of cost, of of doubt as exercise is will have Marketplace processes ' need to be made more un- derstandableMany vendors use standard form contracts. The government could require that these be written . in plain English. In addition, the applicability of pejalties could be extended to breaches of specific provisions of consumer protection legislation. Consumer protection laws could be made more ac- cessible and more easily understandable. Barriers which presently inhibit consumers' from asserting their- rights through litigation could be removed. For example, thereshould be provision for minimum judgement awards. The 981 The only snowmobile in the industry with a 3 year track warranty S KAWASAIO UD .16 SIT-A-THON Come out- and see Rory Hustler attempt to capture the World Record. (He has been sitting for over '900 hours.) 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