Consumer rights

Citizens Advice  will tell you your rights as a consumer, they can also advise you what you can do and say to a business if you’re unhappy with a service or product.

If you think a business or person is trading unfairly or breaking the law you must report it to Citizens Advice. Citizens Advice may contact the Council if they’re not trading within the law or are causing harm to customers.

Do you know the age limits?

In North East Lincolnshire we carry out the Challenge 25  scheme, if you’re buying something which has an age restriction and look under the age of 25, you might be asked for ID to verify your age.

Advice is available to businesses about age restricted products and preventing underage sales on the Business Companion  website. If you’re caught to be trading illegally, you can be fined up to £5000 and sentenced to up to 6 months in prison.

You can report a trader if they sell age restricted products to customers below the legal age.

Report a loan shark

Loan sharks are illegal moneylenders, you can check if the company is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

If you spot a loan shark or have borrowed money from one, you can report them anonymously to the Illegal Money Lending team.