Labour’s consumer law proposals won’t stop companies breaking them

Comment: The Labour Party’s proposed new Fair Go Law, aimed at tackling hidden fees, subscription traps, and unnecessary consumer costs, looks like an easy win. For families struggling with the rising cost of living, deceptive pricing and other underhanded tactics only add to their burden. But how likely is it that the new law will be enforced?

A significant number of businesses ignore consumer protection laws, so we can’t assume a new law is likely to automatically protect consumers. Through my own studies examining the terms and conditions of New Zealand companies, every contract I reviewed contained at least one clause that breached the Fair Trading Act‘s unfair contract terms provisions.