Province Taking Action to Help People in their Everyday Lives
On World Consumer Rights Day, the province is reaffirming its commitment to protecting consumers and making sure everyone in Ontario is aware of their rights.
To better protect consumers, Ontario has recently:
- Banned the expiry of rewards points based on the passage of time alone
- Introduced new rules that will ensure towing and storage providers disclose rates, notify drivers of where their vehicle is stored, and provide an itemized invoice
- Made it easier for consumers to understand the costs and terms of their wireless services contracts and eliminated surprise costs
- Introduced new rules that will ensure any advertising that includes the price of travel is inclusive of all taxes and fees
- Improved how condos are managed and introduced new rules to ensure condo managers are licensed and governed professionally
Ontario is further protecting consumers by introducing legislation that would ban unsolicited, door-to-door sales of certain household appliances, regulate the home inspection industry and introduce new rules for alternative finance services such as payday loans.
Protecting consumers in Ontario is part of our plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.
Quick Facts
- The Protecting Rewards Points Act 2016, will ensure that consumers cannot lose the benefit of accrued points on the grounds of an expiry date, although some exceptions may be made in respect to inactive accounts.
- Ontario has over 800 payday lenders and loan brokers. Since January 1, 2017, Ontario’s maximum cost of borrowing a payday loan dropped from $21 to $18 per $100 borrowed.
- Door-to-door contracts have been among the top complaints received by the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services for some time. Recently, the number of complaints about furnaces and air conditioners have surpassed those received for water heater rentals since the new rules for water heater door-to-door sales came into effect on April 1, 2015.
Additional Resources
Quotes
“Our government will continue to develop legislation that will strengthen consumer protections in Ontario, and we will continue to work to inform consumers of their rights and make government work better for everyone in Ontario.”
Tracy MacCharles – Minister of Government and Consumer Services
Photo from: www.masttrends.com
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