How to make a consumer complaint
If you have a problem with a trader, goods or service, please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on to 0808 2231133. They will be able to offer advice and support, as well as giving you guidance on what you can do next.
The Citizens Advice Consumer Service will pass your complaint on to us. We will only contact you further ourselves should we require further information from you.
If it is a civil matter, the onus will be on you to take further action, such as writing a letter of complaint or taking a trader to the small claims court. We do not do this on your behalf.
Report a business to Trading Standards
To report an issue to Trading Standards, the first step is to visit the contact the Citizens Advice consumer service who will be able to provide advice and guidance.
You can complete the online form or get help from an adviser. They will pass information through to Trading Standards, who will prioritise the matter based on the information provided. Where Trading Standards have identified a matter for investigation they will contact you for more information.
Product recalls
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute website lists products which have been recalled by manufacturers because they could cause injury or illness.
All items listed on the product recalls list should not be opened or consumed, and should be returned to the retailer for a full refund.
Scams
Scams come in all shapes and sizes – from doorstep rogue traders selling dodgy driveways, to email and postal scams with non-existent lottery wins that demand payment up front.
Find out about types of scam and how to spot them at the Citizens Advice website section on scams.
If you know of a scam or have been victim of one, please report it to Trading Standards.
We also suggest that you report it at the ActionFraud website.
Loan sharks
People who loan money without being authorized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are known as loan sharks.
They charge very high rates of interest and don’t give you much paperwork to confirm the arrangements they have made with you.
Loan sharks often take illegal action to collect the money they have lent you such as threatening violence.
For more information on how to check if a lender is authorised, and on what to do if you owe money to a loan shark, visit the Citizens Advice website section on loan sharks.
Buy With Confidence scheme for consumers
In response to concerns about rogue traders, a partnership of local authority trading standards services put together the Buy With Confidence scheme.
It provides consumers with businesses who have been vetted and approved to ensure that they operate in a legal, honest and fair way.
Doorstep crime
Doorstep Crime is when an individual or business approaches you at your house to commit criminal activity, from rogue trading and bogus callers to distraction burglary. Their main objective is to take advantage, scam you out of your money and in some cases burgle your home.
Rogue traders in particular will attempt to persuade you to have non-essential work carried out on your home. They may claim the roof or driveway is in need of urgent repair and offer to fix it for an inflated price or a quick easy cash job.
Pressuring or scaring you to make a decision for work to be done is tactic aimed at rushing you into a decision you may not want to make. Our advice is to say "No" to doorstep traders.
Be vigilant
- Don’t answer the door if you’re not expecting anyone. Install a spy hole and a door chain.
- Never agree to work done by a cold caller and never buy goods and services on the doorstep.
- Don’t be fooled by sales talk.
- Don’t be pressured, call a family member or friend. If you feel threatened call 999.
- Don’t be afraid to say, “no thank you”, ask people to leave or to shut the door.
- Get two or three quotes from approved traders.
- Ask friends and family for trader recommendations.
- Get a 'No cold callers' sticker for your front door.
- If you see a trader calling at a neighbour that may be cold calling, ask your neighbour if they are OK.
- To find a trader you can trust go to the find a trader section on the Citizens Advice website or the Buy with confidence website.
And remember you can report traders to us via Citizens Advice Consumer Service.
Who can help?
- Community watch schemes such as Neighbourhood Watch
- Nominated neighbour schemes – this scheme allows the resident to choose a neighbour that will deal with any doorstep callers. A sign indicates to doorstep sellers or cold callers that they must contact a designated neighbour before they can speak to the resident.
- The Government website has advice on how to help make your neighbourhood a safer place.
For more information on doorstep crime:
Approved traders
Approved traders can be found via the Chartered Trading Standards Institutes approved codes scheme.
Can trading standards force a trader to give me my money back?
No, unfortunately we can’t. If we believe a trader is setting out to deliberately deceive customers or is otherwise criminally breaking the law (rather than it being a civil dispute between customer and trader), we may take steps to ensure they comply with relevant legislation. However, this doesn’t usually include obtaining financial compensation for individual customers (although if a trader is habitually ignoring consumers rights, we can force them into an undertaking to provide better service).
By knowing your rights, as well as following advice from the Citizens advice consumer service and official online sources, you should be able to resolve most disputes yourself (traders often back down when shown their legal responsibilities by a consumer who is well-informed). However if that doesn’t work and you still feel you’re entitled to your money back or other redress, you may need to go to court. This may not be as expensive and daunting as you may think, and in the small claims court (which deals with disputes up to £10,000) you may not even need a lawyer.
If you wish to contact us by post you can write to us at Trading Standards, Bedford Borough Council, Borough Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford MK42 9AP.