Tips from Louis the Lawyer – Intro to the CGSO

THE CGSO was established in
early 2015 in terms of section
82 of the Consumer Protection
Act (CPA) 2008 (Act No. 68 of
2008).
Succinctly, the purpose of the
CGSO ombudsman is the following:
To guide industry on the minimum
standards of conduct regarding
engaging with consumers and to
assist in resolving disputes.
Raise the standards of conduct
between consumers and providers
of goods and services.
To offer guidance regarding
compliance of the CPA and fair
business practices.
Educate consumers as to their
rights and actions they can take
if their rights have been infringed
upon.
To provide a scheme of alternative
dispute resolution such as
mediation.
The CGSO Code of Conduct
(the Code) is enforced against
consumer goods and service
industry participants. To
understand to whom the Code
applies it is best to explain the
definitions that appear in the Code.
Remember, that any definitions,
words and phrases used will have
the same meaning as in the CPA:
‘Consumer Goods and Services
Industry’ means all participants
involved in the supply chain
that provide, market, offer to
supply goods and services to
the consumer, unless excluded
in terms of 4.4 of the Code (i.e.
if they are subject to another
ombudsman e.g. Banking)
‘Participant’ means any entity
operating within the industry
‘Supply Chain’ is defined in the
CPA as follows: ‘supply chain’, with
respect to any particular goods
or services, means the collective
of all suppliers who directly or
indirectly contribute to the ultimate
supply of those goods or services
to a consumer, whether as a
producer, importer, distributor or
retailer of goods or as a service
provider.