Consumer law

Consumer law is the body of law that protects individuals who buy goods or services for personal, family or household purposes. It covers deceptive and unconscionable practices, required contract disclosures, cancellation rights for certain contracts, warranties, credit and debt collection, and product safety. It generally does not apply to purchases made by businesses.

How BC law treats it

In BC, the main statute is the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act, SBC 2004, c 2, enforced by Consumer Protection BC. The Sale of Goods Act implies conditions of quality into consumer sales that cannot be excluded, and federal law covers areas such as product safety and misleading advertising.

What it means for your business

A business selling to consumers should check that its contracts include required disclosures and do not attempt to exclude statutory rights.

Risks and common mistakes

Terms that try to exclude implied warranties in consumer sales are generally unenforceable and may themselves be a deceptive practice.

For the full explanation, see our entry on Consumer protection.

General information about British Columbia and Canadian law, current to October 2026. It is not legal advice.