Companies getting their ducks in a row

Companies around the country are busy assessing their standard trading conditions (STCs) to see if they comply with the rather stringent requirements of the recently introduced Consumer Protection Act – with these demands described as “a nightmare” by an FTW legal source. A snap survey by FTW of various involved parties revealed that business in SA was profitably taking advantage of the 18-month period of grace to get their trading condition ducks in a row after previous-president Kgalema Motlanthe signed the bill into law on April 24. The department of trade and industry said that “the National Consumer Commission will commence implementation of the act after the period of 18 months from the date of signing of the bill”. Legal sources told FTW that they were also still battling to get a handle on this new act – now several months after it was promulgated.