The Consumer Rights
Act 2015 has been in force for a decade, leading to numerous applications for
collective proceedings orders in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT)
following the UK Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Merricks v. Mastercard.
Consequently, the CAT has become one of the UK’s busiest courts. Despite its
infancy, the regime has quickly become a popular avenue for class actions, with
claims spanning various industries and theories of harm. Yet, certain core
aspects of the regime have surfaced only recently or remain unresolved. This
article reflects on the development of the regime and considers whether it
strikes the right balance between compensating consumers and ensuring that
unmeritorious claims are identified at an early stage.