Trading Standards Consumer Code is 1 year old today!

Well done Steve!

I personally think that any organisation that can help the public to separate  quality tradespeople from the cowboys is a brilliant idea.

Unfortunately for most small businesses the cost of becoming a member of these organisations is one that we are unable to afford.

With all the bait and switch rip off merchants that have recently been highlighted in the press, god knows that our line of work is in dire need of some good promotion.

For every professional carpet cleaner in Coventry, there must at least 20 that claim to be, but in reality are claiming benefits and looking for a top up.

There are probably half a dozen or so of these that I feel would benefit us , as a reputable business and to become a member of them all would probably set us back between 3 and 5 grand a year!

We played a part in setting up TACCA, The approved Carpet Cleaners Association, and think it would be brilliant if that too could come under your umbrella too.

Thanks Trena, and just to clarify, we are just content publishers and provide tools for organisations to manage data, so we can't claim any credit for setting up the actual Consumer Code, this is down to the Trading Standards Institute and the OFT.

Ref your TACCA organisation, this is just the sort of body that should be on-board. Why not badger them and ask them to investigate joining. They can get more info here:

www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/advice/ConsumerCodes

I will certainly pass it on and do my best! 

I have to agree with Trena, see Gas Safe will not get involved, simply because their remit is solely to do with gas safety, why would they want to get involved with more paperwork and administration? Now I can become an approved contractor, started to do the application last year, but there are now so many bodies acting as agents for the approved scheme, I think I was being quoted somewhere near £700 per annum to become so called approved and the only thing I could see of benefit was to be able to use a logo. The customers I guess are slightly better protected but that was about it. Something didn't seem right to me, so I backed out.

I think Gas Safe would be an ideal body to get involved. It is established, respected, and membership of the Consumer Code Scheme would be an added benefit for it's members, rather than any extra cost. Whether the membership cost is viable to join Gas Safe itself is a different story and I suppose down to the individual member. I'd be surprised if they didn't come on-board in the near future.

Having a single remit is fine, for example the Property Ombudsmen have signed up to the Consumer Code purely for Estate Agents and the buying and selling of houses. Estate agents can be an emotive subject at the best of times, but if you know an agent is a member of the Ombundsman, who in turn has signed up and agreed to a specific code of practice, which is all about consumer protection, then this can only be good news for the end consumer. It's also a good selling point for the agent, who can re-assure any prospective clients that they are members of a Trading Standards regulated Ombudsman, and show them what rights and course of action the consumer has if it all goes sour.

Another body with a straightforward remit is the British Association of Removers, so their members include the likes of Pickfords, down to small removal companies.

I could set up the Federation of Marketing Directories tomorrow, create a nice logo and give a nice perception of re-assurance. But I would have my work cut out, and spend a lot of time, money and energy to create a genuine organisation that would satisfy the Trading Standards Consumer Code of Conduct.

The whole concept really is to regulate and simplify the consumer protection landscape, and bring the myriad of different schemes and organisations under one umbrella, and signing up to a regulated, independent code of conduct. It's a mammoth undertaking, and isn't going to happen overnight, but it's slowly gaining traction.

Out of interest, here are the latest organisations either going for approval or have expressed an interest:

www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/advice/Prospectivecodesponsors.cfm

Maybe this time next year we'll see Gas Safe up there (along with TACCA) 

Of course - one has to get the priorities right !

Is there still one central governing body for gas instillations? You say there are many agents out there, can you not apply directly with Gas Safe, assuming they are the main one, or is it like an insurance policy, its best to use a broker for advice?

The only body that monitors gas safety in the UK is the Gas Safe Register which is operated by Capita the same bods that collect the congestion charge. Previously it was CORGI who had the remit to manage gas safety. Now it will always be known as the Gas Safe Register regardless of which organisation is running it. The Gas Safe Register enforces the rules and regulations laid down by the Health & Safety Executive and monitors registered installers by carrying out periodic inspections of everyone, however you generally will only ever get inspected following a complaint, I've had 2 complaints in 30 years one of them was because a boiler was not working 2 years after I had visited the property and the owner wanted it fixed, even though he fitted it himself. And the second one was because I subcontracted and installation to another registered installer and he failed to install a condense pipe correctly.

Going back to the topic, the Gas Safe inspectors when not inspecting registered installers are chasing illegal unregistered installers and dodgy landlords and alongside the HSE as it is always the HSE who prosecute not Gas Safe either issue prohibition notices to stop work or court summonses, generally this is builders or handymen or it could even be someone who is registered with Gas Safe but they are working on appliances which are beyond their competence level and are not certified to work on.

So because of their workload I cannot see them wanting to get involved with consumer protection, simply because they are already struggling. Unlike the electrical trade where there are several registered bodies that monitor electrical safety, with gas there is just one.....

Thanks for clearing that up 

2 complaints in 30 years - impressive track record !