Any solicitors on here?

[SUPERSTARDJ01]

Hi all,

Anyone know of any solicitors on here willing to give a fellow bike some advise?

Could really do with some advise before I proceed.

Thanks in advance.

[Matt-EUC]

There are a few who have been caught soliciting. Does that count?

[SUPERSTARDJ01]

Unfortunately not :)

[Runako]

I specialise in Commercial and Business legal advice. What do you need?

[ClunkintheUK]

My missus is a solicitor. let me know if we can help.

[madcockney]

Hi all,

Anyone know of any solicitors on here willing to give a fellow bike some advise?

Could really do with some advise before I proceed.

Thanks in advance.

Might be an idea if you say what you need a solicitor for as many specialise which means that you can get the best advise by speaking to the correct solicitor for your requirement.

[Spank86]

There are a few who have been caught soliciting. Does that count?

you see you just wasted that line


My missus is a solicitor. let me know if we can help.

Now would be perfect to make the "soliciting" joke.

[SUPERSTARDJ01]

Sorryd not been back sooner, I need help with sale of goods act, having a bit of an issue with a trader and a bike I bought 14mths ago, unfortunatley he said if he discovers I've mentioned the case on any forum he'll take me to court for slander, IM me and I'll give you more details.

[SvNewbie]

if he discovers I've mentioned the case on any forum he'll take me to court for slander,

I am not a lawyer, but if you stick to the facts, there is nothing he can legally do.

[PyroUK]

I am not a lawyer, but if you stick to the facts, there is nothing he can legally do.


As newbie says, stick to the facts and you should be ok. Besides what the person in question meant to say is take you to court for libel.

[madcockney]

As others have said if you stick to the facts there is nothing that they can do, but make sure that they are the facts and not your interpretation or representation of them. We all tend to elaborate on things and that is what gets us into hot water. FYI I have had this said to me in the past, and normally by smaller businesses, never by a bike dealer, but have known it to happen from car dealers. I have always recommended that they do it as it will provide more coverage, but they back down when they know that they cannot scare you as you have right on your side. I assume that you have spoken to your local authority consumer protection office (Trading Standards) or in Wales the Citizens Advise Bureau. If people did take notice of what others threatened then the aforementioned agencies would have very few cases to handle. I am not in the legal profession but know a bit about our legal rights and responsibilities.

[Runako]

.. your local authority consumer protection office (Trading Standards) or in Wales the Citizens Advise Bureau...

Don't worry, there is still (just about) a Trading Standards service in Wales :-D

[yorkie_chris]

Sorryd not been back sooner, I need help with sale of goods act, having a bit of an issue with a trader and a bike I bought 14mths ago, unfortunatley he said if he discovers I've mentioned the case on any forum he'll take me to court for slander, IM me and I'll give you more details.

You can't take someone to court for stating facts.
The fact that he's threatening that does not show him in a good light.

On the other hand what do you expect after 14 months?

[madcockney]

Don't worry, there is still (just about) a Trading Standards service in Wales :-D

In Wales you now have to make initial contact via CAB, they have a dedicated phone number for it, and I believe on-line form, not your local consumer protection office. They then give you a case nr and initial advise. If that is unsuccessful you return to the phone line and then the case is passed onto the relevant Trading Standards department if CAB can't deal with it, or requires subsequent action. Well that's the principal.

I am advised that it was part of the agreement between the Wales National government and CAB to bring costs down and make the advise, etc more effective. There is the fact that a lot of Consumer Protection advise was duplicated by Trading Standards and CAB. I believe that it is also under consideration for England if it proves beneficial in Wales.

[ChrisCurvyS]

I'm a journalist by background so know a bit about defamation/libel.

As others have said, as long as you only state concrete facts (preferably ones you can back up with a reasonable amount of evidence - receipts, dates, notes of conversations etc) you'll be fine. This guide is one of the clearer ones:

http://www.yourrights.org.uk/yourrights/right-of-free-expression/defamation/defamation-elements-of-a-claim.html

Suing for libel is expensive anyway so usually the preserve of celebs and big business. As madcockney says it sounds like a bluff or just ignorance of the law on his part - I used to get halfwit court defendants telling me how they were going to sue me for breaching their 'rights' by reporting on their cases...

[Runako]

In Wales you now have to make initial contact via CAB, they have a dedicated phone number for it, and I believe on-line form, not your local consumer protection office. They then give you a case nr and initial advise. If that is unsuccessful you return to the phone line and then the case is passed onto the relevant Trading Standards department if CAB can't deal with it, or requires subsequent action. Well that's the principal.

I am advised that it was part of the agreement between the Wales National government and CAB to bring costs down and make the advise, etc more effective. There is the fact that a lot of Consumer Protection advise was duplicated by Trading Standards and CAB. I believe that it is also under consideration for England if it proves beneficial in Wales.

To a point this is true, but trust me, you really want advice from your Trading Standards department rather than the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline. Problem is that some authorities don't provide civil advice so CAB are the default. Not so in Cardiff. There are many ways, including twitter, to get advice directly from Cardiff Trading Standards.

For this type of dispute though, cost should determine the level of advice you seek. CAB are good for the standards Sale of Goods Act issues. Anything requiring intervention is best dealt with elsewhere as CAB don't give interventive assistance. But, even then, the Trading Standards services which intervene limit their advice based on their insurance cover so above a certain level intervention will not take place, e.g. large home extension disputes or complex contractual issues.

Its a bit irrelevant to this actual dispute - how Trading Standards and CAB work - but it is useful information for anyone who is considering their legal advice options.

Edit: I would also add that a lot of English Authorities do not provide "2nd tier assistance", just basic advice. Some offer nothing. And The helpline is UK wide and has been for quite a few years now (under the guise of Consumer Direct before CAB took over) so anyone in the UK can use it. Any cases not dealt with by them are already currently referred to those Trading Standards Departments in England who do provide a service.

[Runako]

Its fair to say that 'libel action' isn't really a part of this case.