Article 20

What it means when you sign

This article places a duty on the provider, meaning the business that supplies a commodity or service to consumers. The provider must make sure the commodity or service conforms to the standard specifications, to the terms and controls on health and safety, and to the relevant legislation in force in the State.

When you are about to sign a contract with a provider, this article means that conformity to standards and to health and safety requirements is the provider's responsibility under the law. A clause that tries to move that responsibility to the consumer, or that says the provider promises nothing about standards or safety, may run into this article. The parts of a contract to look at are the description of the product or service, any specifications or standards referred to, and any warranty or disclaimer wording. It is also worth noting whether the contract names the standards the product or service is meant to meet, since the article ties the provider's duty to the standard specifications.