The KBSA warns of new laws on credit card surcharges

Trade association the KBSA has issued an urgent notice to its members on debit and credit card surcharges.

The new mandatory requirement, which comes into effect on January 13, means that any extra charge that traders may normally apply when taking payments on credit cards now needs to be removed.

The KBSA warned that any business that continues to apply a surcharge to consumer retail cards would be non-compliant with regulators and could end up facing sanctions or penalties.

“We have reminded our members about this significant change and advised them that the new Terms and Conditions (T&Cs), put together for the benefit of members, do reflect this new regulation,” said KBSA national chair Richard Hibbert.

The KBSA said it had updated its T&Cs to take into account the latest consumer protection laws and other modern legislation.

Hibbert added: “We have worked closely with our legal adviser, Fraser Brown, to develop the new document, which is tailored for the design and installation of kitchens. They reflect the customer’s journey, incorporating detailed provisions concerning the order process, quotation, delivery and installation as well as payment.

“We believe that these new T&Cs will provide robust protection for our retailers, particularly for liability for customer error or omission or other circumstances outside of retail member control.”

A template of the new T&Cs is provided as part of the business services to members and will automatically be updated on an annual basis or earlier if required.

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