More and more people take on manufacturers over product safety flaws
South Africans are using the Consumer Protection Act to take on product manufacturers who will not accept liability for defective products
Exploding electronic game boxes‚ melting cellphones‚ ill-fitting paint stripper bottle lids‚ lethal kitchen appliances and faulty cars: for years South Africans have born the brunt of manufacturers’ product faults‚ but now no more.Consumer protection lawyers and rights groups are reporting an upsurge in people taking on manufacturers over their product safety flaws.A year ago Cape Town law firm DCS Attorneys had not received a single request for legal assistance in terms of seeking damages against manufacturers. Now they receive more than three a month."It’s thanks to ‘Dr Google’ that South African consumers have become so aware of their rights‚" said Kirstie Haslam of DSC Attorneys.While product fault recalls were well documented overseas‚ in SA there were very few statistics‚ she said."But‚ just from our work load‚ we are seeing a significant increase in the number of consumers who are wanting to take on manufacturers because of their faulty products."She said the Consumer Protect...
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