WIREDGOV

Consumer Direct, the government advice service, is advising potential pet owners to bone up on their rights and obligations before purchasing a puppy or buying a budgie.

Since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act in England and Wales this year, and the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act last year, pet owners are now legally obliged to care for their pet by providing a proper diet, suitable living conditions and veterinary care when necessary.

However, in addition to obligations, pet buyers also have statutory rights. Consumer Direct received more than 2700 complaints from dissatisfied pet buyers last year, many of whom were unaware of their rights under the Sale of Goods Act.

Carol Brady, Operations Manager from Consumer Direct said: 'It's extremely important that you do your homework before buying a pet to make sure that you will be able to provide the right level of care. Buying an animal is clearly not the same as simply buying a product on the high street, but you do have the same statutory consumer protections. If you are in any doubt, contact Consumer Direct for further advice.'

The majority of pet-related complaints received last year concerned the purchase of dogs and puppies, although the service also received calls from buyers of cats, horses, budgies, ferrets, chinchillas and even snakes. Common complaints included animals becoming ill or dying soon after purchase, or animals not matching their description.

One caller from Essex bought two dwarf rabbits from a local pet shop, both of which died within ten days. After calling Consumer Direct for advice, he returned to the shop and successfully obtained a full refund of £76, claiming that the animals were not of a 'satisfactory quality' under the Sale of Goods Act.

Information on consumer rights and advice on gaining redress is available from Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 or on the website at http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.  

Notes to Editors:

1. Information on the Animal Welfare Act is available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/act/index.htm

2. Information about how the Animal Welfare Act affects Scotland is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/972/0040944.pdf

3. Further advice about purchasing a pet and pet care is available from a number of charities including the RSPCA (http://www.rspca.org.uk), the PET Care Trust (http://www.petcare.org.uk) and other specialist organisations.

About Consumer Direct:

* Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service funded by government and managed by the Office of Fair Trading. It operates in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services to offer consumers clear, practical and impartial advice and information.

* Consumer Direct has around 350 trained advisers in 11 contact centres across England, Wales and Scotland.

* The information and advice helpline is available on a single national telephone number - 08454 04 05 06 from 0800 - 1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900 - 1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.

* A Welsh-speaking Consumer Direct service is available on 08454 04 05 05. Minicom users should call 08451 28 13 84.

* Calls to the Consumer Direct 0845 numbers are charged at no more than four pence per minute from a BT landline. Call charges from other landline providers or mobile phones may vary. Please check the rate with your phone service provider.

* Northern Ireland has its own service called ConsumerLine (available on 08456 00 62 62) which is similar to Consumer Direct.

Frank Shepherd Press Officer
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk