The legislation covers all types of misleading and aggressive practices in business

Following Cabinet approval this May, a meeting of the lower chamber of the Spanish parliament this Tuesday has unanimously approved new regulations which prohibit telephone spam and other aggressive sales tactics by bringing increased protection to consumers and more strict control over unfair competition and unlawful or misleading advertising.

The law approved by Congress covers two European directives on the matter, in addition to introducing modifications to four existing Spanish laws: 20 minutos lists them as the law on consumer protection, on unfair competition, on advertising, and legislation covering retail trade.

Aggressive sales practices are considered as those which use bullying tactics, duress, force or undue influence to seriously limit the consumer’s freedom of choice. Unfair competition includes leading a consumer into making an on the spot decision with the pretext that an item or service is available for a limited time only when that is not, in fact, the case. Also falling within that category is presenting information in a manner which is unclear or ambiguous, and misrepresenting the goods or service offered as comparable with a competitor’s. Hiding information which would be key to the consumer’s choice is another.

20 minutos notes that what these new regulations do, in effect, is to establish one legal umbrella to cover all types of aggressive and misleading practices in business. (Via Original Source)