New Zealand merchants and consumer rights

Finding a merchant in New Zealand is quite easy, but you will first need to know your legal rights as a New Zealand consumer. If you are not familiar with your rights as a consumer, doing some legal research is a good place to start.

Ministry of Consumption

There are a few things you need to know about New Zealand business laws and a good place to start your research is the New Zealand Ministry of Consumer Affairs, they have all the information you need about your rights. On the site, simply enter the business person you need and you can find everything you need to know about hiring that person and their legal rights as a consumer. Below is the information they provide:

CGA- A guide for merchants and service providers.

Consumer Guarantees Law – A guide for merchants and service providers.

Services covered by the Consumer Guarantees Law.

Assets covered by the Consumer Guarantees Law.

This should be all the information you need to know about your rights as a consumer. There is a wealth of information on this site created by the New Zealand government. This is where one should start, the legal side, so you should be well prepared before hiring someone.

Online search:

My Dealer is another good site that will allow you to browse through their directory for free to search for dealers. They also allow you to review reviews that consumers have written about their experiences with past merchants. Another site is called Master Trade which offers the same features with a huge directory of traders to choose from.

Certified – Qualified

Always make sure the tradesman is a certified New Zealand tradesman. Some builders may be masters of their trade and have been doing it for years. But if they are not qualified to gain qualifications, either through apprenticeships or certificate courses, this means they are not subject to New Zealand business laws and may cause you problems in the long run.

previous work

Now you can search online to see if they are qualified licensed construction professionals. The Certified Builders Association of New Zealand (CBANZ) which maintains all New Zealand business laws in which only qualified and certified tradesmen are registered. Before taking on any job, always make sure to check your background (previous work experience), current qualifications, and climate on file with the CBANZ.

Estimate:

Asking for a quote means that he will give you a price of what he thinks it may cost. At the end of the day. When the job is complete, the actual cost may differ, but to be fair, the price should be only slightly higher than the estimated price discussed.

Appointment:

On the other hand, a quote is a fixed price that will give you when the job is done or done, including labor and materials. If you choose to accept that Quote, then he can’t charge you more than the agreed price, so to be safe, it’s best to get the Quote in writing.

There is a lot of information online, or in your local directory, even by word of mouth. It’s always good to do your research before hiring merchants in New Zealand or abroad, it can save you a lot of money down the road when it comes to the final bill.