Home / Non-Accredited / Strategy, Risk, Governance & Compliance / Consumer Protection Act Fundamentals Training (1 day)
Quick Look Course Summary:Consumer Protection Act Fundamentals Training (1 day)
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Length: 1 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 8,159 EX VAT 3 Person R 5,295 EX VAT 10 Person R 3,794 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Consumer Protection Act Fundamentals Training (1 day)
Staff who know what the Consumer Protection Act requires at the counter, on the phone and in the contract – and who handle returns and complaints correctly.
The Consumer Protection Act (CPA, Act 68 of 2008) sets the rules for anyone who sells goods or services to consumers in South Africa. Customers have a right to plain-language contracts, fair terms, safe goods of good quality and a remedy when things go wrong, and suppliers who ignore these rules face complaints to an ombud, investigation by the National Consumer Commission and possible administrative fines. This one-day Consumer Protection Act training explains what the Act means for your business in practical terms.
Delegates learn who and what the Act covers, the consumer's core rights, the supplier's obligations in marketing, pricing, contracts and returns, how the six-month implied warranty of quality works, and where consumers go when they complain. The afternoon applies the Act to your own industry, with exercises on sales scripts, contract terms, returns policies and real complaint scenarios.
The course is practical awareness, not legal advice. It helps sales, customer-service and management teams reduce disputes, handle complaints fairly and keep the business on the right side of the regulators.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Fewer disputes escalating to an ombud or the National Consumer Commission
- Contracts, quotes and returns policies checked against the Act
- Consistent handling of returns, warranty claims and refunds
- Marketing and promotions that stay within the rules
For your delegates
- A plain-language map of consumer rights and supplier duties
- Confidence to answer customer questions on returns and warranties
- A checklist for reviewing contracts, notices and sales scripts
- Practical approaches for handling complaints
What delegates will be able to do
- Explain who and what the Consumer Protection Act applies to, and the main exclusions
- Describe the consumer's core rights in plain language
- Identify contract terms and marketing practices that the Act restricts or prohibits
- Apply the implied warranty of quality to returns, repairs, replacements and refunds
- Handle a consumer complaint fairly and know where it can escalate
- Recognise practices that expose the business to enforcement action
- Review a contract, returns policy or sales script against the Act
Who should attend
Business owners, sales and customer-service staff and managers, retail and branch managers, marketing teams, contract administrators and anyone who deals with consumers, quotes, contracts, returns or complaints. Consumer-facing teams in retail, motor, hospitality, property, telecoms and service businesses benefit most.
Course outline
Day 1 – The Consumer Protection Act in practice
Scope of the Act
- Purpose of the CPA and how it links to the Bill of Rights
- Who is a consumer and who is a supplier under the Act
- Transactions, goods and services covered
- Main exclusions: sales to the State, larger juristic persons above the threshold, employment contracts and credit agreements themselves (governed by the National Credit Act)
Consumer rights
- Equality in the consumer market and protection of vulnerable consumers
- Privacy and the right to refuse direct marketing
- The right to choose: cooling-off after direct marketing, cancelling fixed-term agreements and examining goods
- Disclosure and information: plain language, price display and labelling
- Fair and responsible marketing, and fair and honest dealing
Supplier obligations and fair terms
- Fair, just and reasonable contract terms
- Terms that must be drawn to the consumer's attention
- Prohibited terms and why they are void
- Estimates and pre-authorisation of repairs
- Marketing practices the Act restricts: bait marketing, negative option marketing and promotional competitions
Quality, returns and liability
- The right to safe goods of good quality
- The six-month implied warranty: repair, replacement or refund
- Returns policies that comply with the Act
- Product recalls and liability for unsafe goods
- Due diligence to limit the supplier's liability
Complaints, enforcement and redress
- Handling complaints in-house before they escalate
- Industry ombuds, including the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud
- Provincial consumer protection authorities and consumer courts
- The National Consumer Commission and the National Consumer Tribunal
- Compliance notices and administrative fines in outline
The Act in your industry
- Applying the Act to retail, services, motor, property and other sectors
- Exercise: reviewing a contract, a returns policy and a sales script
- Complaint scenarios and good-practice responses
- Personal action plan
How it is delivered
One day, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; examples tailored to your industry on request. Workbook and a CPA compliance checklist included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
“All training sessions were well-coordinated, professionally delivered, and aligned with our scheduling requirements. We value the partnership and look forward to continued collaboration with Business Optimization Training Institute in the future.”
“All training programmes were delivered in a highly professional manner, with effective coordination and strict adherence to our scheduling requirements. The facilitators demonstrated a commendable level of expertise, and the quality of delivery consistently met our expectations.”
“The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices or branches?
Yes. We train at client premises anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online – useful for retail and branch teams spread across the country.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to a group of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is the course accredited?
No. It is a non-accredited short course, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Can we use our own contracts and returns policy?
Yes. Send them beforehand and the facilitator uses them in the exercises, so delegates practise on the documents they use every day.
Does the Act apply to business-to-business sales?
Partly. The Act protects individuals and smaller businesses; larger juristic persons above the threshold set by the Minister are excluded as buyers. The course shows how to tell the difference.
Is this legal advice?
No. The course builds practical awareness of the Act. For an opinion on a specific dispute or contract, consult an attorney.
Related courses
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