The recent PIP scandal has brought these types of claims to the forefront, although the legislation (The Sale and Supply of Goods and Services Act) is often associated more with trying to return goods to a store/seller. However, the Act can be important in personal injury claims, specifically where the provision of a service or good has breached the terms of the Act and have led to personal injury.
The Act states that goods and services should be of a satisfactory quality and fit for purpose and is something that may ring bells with a lot of us who have ever bought something from a store for it to break 2 days later. It gives consumers protection that the goods that they are purchasing do what they should and perform to a satisfactory level. The PIP breast scandal brought this to the forefront as it has been established by a report led by Sir Bruce Keogh that the implants were not fit for purpose, nor of satisfactory quality, due to the grade of silicon that was used in them and the substandard skin of the implants.
This has meant that many women have now suffered personal injury from ruptures of the below standard implants, which of course is a form of personal injury. Therefore many women are now pursuing claims in personal injury using this vital piece of legislation.
However, although the PIP scandal is undoubtedly high profile, the act can work in cases that have the same realm of facts. If you purchase a product which is substandard and / or not fit for the purpose of which it was bought, and you suffer injury as a result, you may be entitled to claim compensation.
Common examples include furniture such as chairs that have collapsed when someone has sat on them shortly after purchase, or electrical goods that have a fault which causes electric shocks etc. This list could go on but you can clearly see how useful this piece of legislation can be in protecting consumers against personal injury.
Here at The Injury Lawyers we have extensive experience working with this legislation and have helped many Client’s recover the compensation they deserve after suffering injury at the hands of a substandard product.
In these cases, one of the most important pieces of evidence is the product itself and therefore if you think you may wish to claim it is important to keep this safe and available for testing. Many companies may request the product back however, we would advise to be incredibly vigilant in this and ensure that it is not been taken to mysteriously disappear or be altered…
So if you wish to discuss a potential claim, do not hesitate to contact us.
