We all buy goods and services every day and sometimes these are simply not up to scratch or as lawyers say ‘of merchantable quality’. People often feel they will not be considered when dealing with a large organisation and want help to ensure they get a fair result by coming to lawyers to make their arguments for them.
Consumer litigation covers disputes between people who buy as a consumer (not as a business) and suppliers of pretty much everything be it goods (cars, washing machines, sofas) or services (hairdressers, holidays, lawyers). In short people are entitled to what they pay for and have both statutory rights imposed on suppliers by law and contractual rights from the individual sale contract between the parties.
If you have had a really bad experience as a consumer you have a number of remedies and do not have to just accept what the supplier or manufacturer are telling you. Often consumer protection law gives protection under statute to consumers which most businesses will respect and often they will offer settlements or redress in other ways. However these may feel inadequate or insufficient or you might just have had enough and want a complete break and your money back. The various remedies that may exist following a breach of contract law are dependent on the circumstances of the breach and the timescale of the complaint and even the value of the item.
Many suppliers also sign up to trade associations and codes of practice which can become involved or assist as well as other government organisations and authorities such as regulatory bodies and standards agencies . In some cases the Ombudsman ( for the relevant area ) can also be a useful point of complaint or redress.