TRUSTWORTHY: Traders encouraged to join consumer scheme
TRADERS are being encouraged to
sign up to a scheme designed to
improve consumer confidence in
the borough.
Bracknell Forest trading standards
officers launched Buy With
Confidence last year by inviting all
traders, from handymen to
plumbers, to join the scheme.
Anyone who joins is checked for
trustworthiness and compliance
with the law, via compliments or
complaints from the public and
criminal records or civil judgements.
Rob Sexton, head of trading standards
and licensing, said: “We are
steadily increasing the number of
traders who want to prove to their
customers they are trustworthy.
“If you are a trader who wants to
show you are reputable, why not
consider joining Buy With
Confidence?”
The scheme encourages residents
to give good and bad feedback and
trading standards can mediate in
the case of disputes.
There are more than 1,500 members
across the South East.
Councillor Iain McCracken, executive
member for leisure, corporate
services and public protection,
said: “We have heard from many
residents about how helpful Buy
With Confidence is when selecting
traders.
“If you need someone trustworthy
to visit your home, why not use one
of our approved traders?”
BRACKNELL’S mayor, Councillor Cliff Thompson,
joined traders for the launch of the buy with confidence
scheme during an opening ceremony.
Last Thursday traders who have been added to
the borough council’s list of approved traders got
together with Cllr Thompson to mark their membership
to the Buy with Confidence initiative.
The idea of Bracknell Forest Borough Council
having a list of these traders is to give residents
more confidence when shopping or inviting workmen
in to their homes.
The idea of Bracknell Forest Borough Council
having a list of these traders is to give residents
more confidence when shopping or inviting workmen
in to their homes.
Trading standards officers have so far recruited
10 local traders to take part in Buy with
Confidence, which is already successful in the
south east with more than 600 members.
Any trader who joins the scheme is checked for
their trustworthiness and compliance with the law
from customer feedback.
Rob Sexton, head of trading standards and
licensing, said: “It can be very daunting inviting
strangers inside your home to carry out work.“The success of Buy with Confidence elsewhere shows there is a demand from consumers for reliable
and approved traders and workmen.”
For more information and traders’ details or to
nominate a trader to go www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk or www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk.
RECOMMENDED: Councillor Peter North, executive member for public protection
and services, with the first approved trader Richard Smyth from Carpentry with
Care Ltd. Picture by Stewart Turkington.
COUNCIL: Buy with Confidence is approved nationally
BRACKNELL’S approved trader
network has been nationally
recognised as a flagship scheme.
Bracknell Forest Borough
Council’s Buy with Confidence
initiative has been acknowledged
by the Office of Fair Trading and
the Trading Standards Service for
the benefits the service gives to
residents – a list of traders who
have been vetted by trading
standards for reliability and
trustworthiness.
Bracknell is one of nine councils
across the South East who have
adopted the scheme, which covers
businesses from architects to
window cleaners, and the list has
almost 1,000 members.
Rob Sexton, Bracknell Forest
Borough Council’s head of trading
standards and services, said: “The
national recognition of Buy With
Confidence shows the importance
of these schemes to the consumer.
“If you are looking for a
reputable trader, or want to join
up yourself, please do get in touch.
“We are also keen for consumers
to tell us about reputable traders
who they would like to recommend
for the scheme.”
On applying to be a member,
businesses in Bracknell Forest will
receive a full assessment by
trading standards officers to
ensure they operate in a legal,
honest and fair way and that they
offer a customer friendly service.
Once approved, the businesses
are expected to abide by the
scheme’s code of practice.
Buy with Confidence is one of
only three schemes which have
become members of the new Local
Authority Assured Trader Scheme
Network (LAATSN).
Colin Brown, chairman of the
LAATSN national standards and
support committee, said: “We are
very pleased to welcome Buy With
Confidence as a member of the
network.
“The scheme is a really good
example of partnership in action
between local authority trading
standards services and demonstrates
just how such schemes can help a
wide range of local businesses to
understand consumer law and raise
their levels of customer service.”
More traders have joined
Bracknell Forest Borough
Council's Buy With
Confidence scheme.
The scheme is open to
any trader and once they
have been approved by the
Council's trading
standards team they are
entitled to use the Buy
With Confidence logo.
There are more than
1,500 members of Buy
With Confidence across
the south east.
Cllr Iain McCracken,
Executive Member for
Leisure, Corporate
Services and Public
Protection, welcomed the
traders at a ceremony at
South Hill Park Arts
Centre.
He said: "For
consumers the prospect of
inviting traders into their
homes can sometimes be
daunting. To me, the reassurance of the Buy
With Confidence scheme
is that every trader who
has achieved this
accreditation has been
approved by the Council's
Trading Standards team
and as such has the
privilege of working under
the scheme's logo.
"Recognition of the
scheme is rapidly
spreading through
Bracknell Forest and the
logo is fast becoming the
symbol for the provision of
reputable, value for
money, quality goods and
services to Bracknell
Forest residents.
"I am pleased to be
able to welcome more
traders to the Buy With
Confidence scheme, and I
hope residents will use
their services and that our
accredited traders will see
an increase in trade and
reputation"
The new members
included Chris Ward, from
Bamtree Construction in
Sandhurst, who was
recommended by local
customer Bobbie Stewart.
Like all applicants,
Chris was checked for
complaints and unfair
terms and conditions, and
provided a criminal record
check and five positive
customer references.
Bobbie's name was
then entered into a prize
draw and she won £50 in
gift vouchers. She said: "It
is always difficult to know
when you invite traders
round whether they are
reliable, but Buy With
Confidence does provide
reassurance that people
are trustworthy."
The credit crunch is hitting us all and with so few homes selling, you may be thinking of improving or extending your property instead.
With the problem of soaring numbers of small businesses going bust, the headache of choosing a tradesman has got even harder.
Whilst you can never guarantee that any buisness won't go bust, what can you do to minimise the risk?
Before choosing a tradesman:
Ask friends and family for recommendations.
Use a scheme such as Buy With Confidence whose members have been thorougly vetted by Bracknell Forest Council's Trading Standards.
Inviting a stranger to carry out owrk on your house can be a daunting prospect. But we no longer need to be at the mercy of rogue traders thanks
to 'Buy With Confidence', an approved trader scheme introduced by Bracknell Forest Council.
The aim of Buy With Confidence is to give consumers added protection by providing a list of reputable local businesses offering all kinds of
services - from garages to gardeners; locksmiths to carpenters. These businesses will have been inspected by Trading Standards staff to ensure
their trustworthyness and compliance with the law.
Residents can easily find members of the scheme on Buy With Confidence and Bracknell Forest Council's websites www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/buywithconfidence or by
contacting the council direct on 01344 352000
Office and Workshop
Trading Standards
Office Approved
Registered office
6 Redditch, Albany Park
Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 0TT
Tel:
01344 456 855
Mobile:
07769 654 348
Email:
242 Farnham Road
Slough, Berkshire, SL1 4XE
VAT No: 669278281
Company No: 4713127
Registered in England & Wales
