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02 October 2026 / Catherine Cain
Issue: 8179 / Categories: Features , Consumer , Artificial intelligence , Legal services
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Fifty years of righting consumer wrongs

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Catherine Cain, senior solicitor at Which?, on why AI can’t replace the human touch

Fifty years ago, a consumer with a faulty product knew exactly who to go back to: the shopkeeper on the high street, someone they might see again next week anyway. Redress was, more often than not, a face-to-face conversation and a handshake. Today, that same consumer is more likely to have bought the product from a third-party marketplace, shipped from a seller they’ve never heard of, governed by a foreign jurisdiction they weren't aware of, sometimes with only limited recourse under UK law as a result.

Which? Legal was established in 1976 to safeguard consumer interests through specialised, personal support. We recognise that conventional legal representation is frequently prohibitively expensive or daunting for the average person. We often hear that a consumer’s first attempt to get the redress they are legally entitled to was met with a rejection, but once they have then spoken to us, armed with clearer and more detailed knowledge about

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft strengthens Scottish real estate capabilitywith partner appointment

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints Brendan Ryan as partner in Public Law Projects team

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers welcomes five new barristers

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