A useful place
to begin.
Practical guides to organising records and preparing for legal discussions. Browse a topic or search a question.
Contract review — preparing a useful brief
Provide the complete current draft, commercial purpose and decisions that matter most to you. Earlier versions and connected documents can change the review.
DocumentsA legal notice — information to prepare before drafting
Prepare the facts, supporting documents, correct parties and remedy sought before wording a notice. Strong language is not a substitute for a legally coherent…
DocumentsReceived a legal notice — preserving the complete record
Keep the complete notice, attachments and delivery evidence, and arrange a prompt assessment. The printed date, dispatch date and receipt date can be different.
DocumentsIs a purchase covered by consumer law?
The transaction must fall within the Consumer Protection Act's definition of consumer. A purchase described as business-related needs particular attention to the…
DocumentsConsumer complaint — preparing the core documents
Build the file around what was promised, what was supplied and the remedy sought. A dated transaction record is more useful than an unsupported compensation figure.
DocumentsWhich Consumer Commission can hear a complaint?
For ordinary pecuniary allocation under the 2021 rules, use the value paid as consideration, rather than simply adding the compensation demanded.
DocumentsTerritorial jurisdiction in a consumer complaint
Identify the statutory connection with the proposed place of filing. A convenient location or a seller's national website alone does not settle every jurisdiction…
DocumentsConsumer limitation — why correspondence needs a date record
Keep the cause-of-action dates and complaint history separately. Repeated emails to the seller should not be assumed to restart or suspend the filing period.
DocumentsDefective goods and warranty claims
Preserve the defect evidence and warranty terms before arranging repairs or disposal. A warranty claim and a statutory consumer remedy need not be identical.
DocumentsAn online order that never arrived
Keep the order and delivery record, and identify the seller and platform's actual roles. The correct complaint may require more than naming the app used.
DocumentsRefund delays after a cancelled online purchase
Record the cancellation, accepted refund amount and actual credits received. A promise that a refund was processed is different from proof it reached the account.
DocumentsMisleading product descriptions and advertisements
Preserve the description as it appeared when the purchase decision was made. A later edited listing may omit the representation relied on.