How to find a reliable trader
Finding a tradesperson can be confusing. Here Kate Hobson, with contributions from Jill Trumper and Ken Daly, explains what to look for
This article was originally published in the March/April 2017 issue of Adviser magazine and was correct at the date of publishing.
The aims of approved trader schemes are threefold: to increase consumer confidence, to support local businesses by encouraging good trading practices and to help protect consumers from doorstep crime. They range from national schemes covering a variety of trades, to regional and local schemes that may only apply to a specific trade(s), or to a small group of traders. Schemes operate in one of two ways:
- traders join an approved trader scheme directly; or
- traders join a membership scheme in their industry and it is the membership scheme that joins the approved trader scheme (also referred to as ‘accreditation schemes’, but in this article the term ‘approved trader scheme’ is used).
Traders may also be part of schemes specific to their industry, such as the Gas Safe Register for gas engineers. Each body a trader joins will permit use of the relevant logo. Operating in the marketplace alongside approved trader schemes are lead generation services where details of work required by consumers is shared with traders in exchange for payment.(1)
TrustMark is the Government-endorsed scheme for trades in and around the home. Other national schemes are Buy with Confidence, Checkatrade, Consumer Codes Approval Scheme, Trader Register, Trusted Trader and Which? Trusted Traders.(2) Local schemes vary, some operated by the local authority itself, some run in partnership between a group of local authorities and some facilitated by a third party.
The commonality between approved schemes - regardless of size - is that membership is not simply payment based, but involves the trader’s business being reviewed and the trader committing to the scheme’s code of conduct. ‘Someone I can trust’ are often the words that come to mind when a tradesperson is required. Using a member of an approved trader scheme offers precisely this trust, through codes of conduct and checks carried out on applicants before they are permitted to become members.
Checks carried out on businesses vary between schemes and include: audits and on-site visits to review procedures, paperwork and compliance with relevant legislation; checks carried out by Trading Standards; verification of any advertised certifications or membership schemes; confirming references from previous customers; and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks (previously CRB).
Codes of conduct require a commitment to trading fairly and recognising consumers’ rights and may include specifics such as not cold calling and agreeing dates for work in advance. Advice for members from Trading Standards is often included and schemes usually include feedback mechanisms so consumers can see opinions of other customers, and scheme providers have the means to continually monitor the performance of members.
Across Britain, 58% of local authority Trading Standards services operate, or are linked to, a trader scheme.(3) Buy with Confidence is the most common partner scheme, followed by Trader Register and Trusted Trader. Seven local authorities have partnered with Checkatrade and two with TrustMark.
Examples of local schemes include Noroguetradershere and Portsmouth Square Deal.(4) Those not linked to a scheme tend to direct consumers to national schemes or to seek advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service. Consumer service advisers are trained to check for any local scheme in the first instance and, in the absence of a local scheme, to signpost consumers to a national scheme. Local authority Trading Standards provide the consumer service with details of any specific instructions for handling problems reported with scheme members. This information can also be found on individual scheme websites or direct from scheme members.
Kent County Council (KCC) Trading Standards operates its approved trader scheme in partnership with Checkatrade. Jill Trumper from KCC Trading Standards explains what this involves:
“We carry out background checks on businesses who wish to join our approved trader scheme. We partnered with Checkatrade following a year-long review that included analysis of fair trader schemes, market research with consumers, traders and Trading Standards Officers and a cost benefit analysis. Checkatrade was the most recognised fair trader scheme in Kent, with 46% recognition. Our then fair trader scheme, Buy with Confidence, had only 11% recognition. By partnering with an existing scheme, KCC are able to protect more consumers and support more traders in Kent with a scheme that is run by people with the right experience, expertise and knowledge of Trading Standards law.
“The purpose of ‘Trading Standards Approved’ accreditation is to provide consumers, particularly the vulnerable, with a choice of businesses who can be relied upon to act lawfully and legitimately. The aim is to prevent consumers becoming victims of crime associated with doorstep criminals and to stop the criminals. Checks on individual businesses are carried out to prevent criminals joining the schemes. In carrying out our checks, KCC uses its own data as well as intelligence received from partners that has been shared for the purpose of prevention of crime. In line with our information security procedures and protocols, neither the existence of specific intelligence, nor the details of the intelligence, are shared with the scheme operator, any applicant to the scheme or any non-public authority organisation.”
In Scotland, more than half of Trading Standards Services run their own assured trader scheme. Ken Daly, national co-ordinator for the Society of Chief Trading Standards Officers in Scotland (SCOTSS), explains: “The predominant model is Trusted Trader, launched by Dundee City Council in 2005, which has been adopted by 11 other councils in Scotland to date. Buy with Confidence is also represented in five council areas, and two other councils run their own bespoke scheme. Most of the schemes rely heavily on customer feedback to monitor trader performance, as well as strict procedures for vetting, and some of the Trusted Trader councils have a contract with Ombudsman Services to provide alternative dispute resolution in case of any disputes between consumer and trader that can’t be sorted out quickly.
“SCOTSS are currently looking into options to set up a single online portal to join up access to all of the schemes in Scotland, in order to make things much less confusing for consumers and add value for business.”(5)
Logos representing membership of, or approval by, an organisation can be legitimately used by businesses. However, their misuse, deliberate or otherwise, can result in a commercial advantage, enabling work to be acquired unfairly, and may constitute a breach of the law. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 specifically ban businesses from displaying any form of trust mark, quality mark or equivalent if they are not authorised to do so.(6)
It is also a breach of the Regulations to provide false or deceptive information.(7) Any reports of traders falsely claiming to be members of an approved trader scheme should be reported to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice consumer service and the scheme operator.
Kate Hobson is a consumer expert in the Expert Advice Team at Citizens Advice and is consumer subject editor on the Adviser Editorial Board
Endnotes
- An example of which is https://www.mybuilder.com/
- Buy with Confidence, Checkatrade, Consumer Codes Approval Scheme, Trusted Trader, Trader Register, Which? Trusted Trader
- Analysis of information on local authority websites for all Trading Standards Services, January 2017
- https://www.noroguetradershere.com/ and http://www.portsmouthsquaredeal.co.uk/
- For more information on this or any other aspect of assured trader schemes in Scotland, contact Ken Daly at coordinator@scotss.org.uk or visit our website at www.tradingstandards.scot
- s 3(4)(d), Sch 1
- s 5(2)(a)
