Back in 1999…
- The Matrix was released in cinemas
- There was a total solar eclipse in Cornwall
- People were worried about the Y2K bug
- The minimum wage was introduced
- The Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament met for the first time following devolution
- Only 20% of people had access to the Internet
Both Devon and Hampshire were responding to the same problem - consumers were being conned and exploited by rogue businesses. Although the local Trading Standards services were working hard to catch and prosecute the bad guys, it was difficult to help consumers make smart choices by knowing which businesses they should use and which ones they shouldn’t. Even if a business had a long list of complaints against it, legally Trading Standards couldn’t say anything until (and if) the company was taken to court.
What the Trading Standards services realised though was that while it was difficult to directly warn people about individual bad businesses, they could point consumers towards businesses they believed would treat them right. And they'd be supporting those good businesses in the process.
Therefore Buy With Confidence and Customer First were based around the idea of ensuring that local people have access to a list of businesses that have been properly checked, vetted and advised by the body in charge of enforcing fair trading laws – Trading Standards. Rather than relying solely on customer feedback, external vetting, trust-based codes of practice, or a checkbox inspection filled in by potentially unqualified people, both schemes decided to do things properly.
The schemes were based around...
Being fully Local Authority Trading Standards controlled, operated and run
Open to nearly all business sectors (as well as the expected plumbers, electricians and car dealers, Buy With Confidence now includes everything from cake makers to web designers to tattoo parlours)
All vetting of businesses done by Trading Standards professionals
An on-site audit by a qualified Trading Standards professional to check a business' full compliance with the law and its customer service standards
Intelligence database checks
A full suite of background checks (Companies House, credit files, etc.)
Customer references
Criminal records checks (for those doing work in and around people’s homes)
And, following various other checks, final approval by a Local Authority Trading Standards Service
Only after a business has satisfactorily completed all those steps – and more – would it be allowed to join the scheme, use the logo and call itself...
And unlike some other schemes…
- We're owned and run on a not-for-profit basis by independent public sector bodies
- No business gets to be listed whilst initial vetting is taking place
- We don’t rely on other people’s checks we haven't seen ourselves
- The people we send to do audits are properly qualified in Trading Standards law - they're not people with limited training who ask the business whether they comply with fair trading laws they know little about themselves
- No business gets onto the scheme without a face-to-face visit
- The 'Trading Standards Approved' element isn't based on some limited background checks which a private sector body has paid a local authority to do
- The business doesn’t decide (and pay for) the level of checks they want to take place
- We don't limit the scheme to just the most profitable trade sectors (e.g. home improvement or second hand cars) - nearly all trustworthy businesses are welcome to apply
- We don’t boast about checks that barely qualify as checks (e.g. that a business' phone number and address is real – we’ll have made sure of that before what we class as vetting even begins).
Our vetting is based on checking the things that Trading Standards know have the biggest potential to cause real-world problems. We don't just pay lip service to that based on what the public think might need checking, while missing the truly important things
And as Buy With Confidence and Customer First were put together by Trading Standards, the thoroughness doesn’t stop there. During a business' membership, we continue to…
- Monitor complaints received both directly and via intelligence databases
- Monitor feedback received from customers
- Provide bespoke Trading Standards advice to member businesses to help them improve their customer service
- Periodically re-audit members, including face-to-face visits
- Remove businesses from the scheme we believe are failing to meet our Terms & Conditions
- Mediate between businesses and consumers during disputes
- Publicly list the business on our website - buywithconfidence.gov.uk
Most of this has been in place since day one, and our checks and balances have only been honed and strengthened over time.
The proof that it’s a system that works? The way it’s grown!
From two local authorities in 1999, Buy With Confidence and Customer First quickly began to be taken up by neighbouring authorities. Then, in 2008, they decided that with their shared ethos, they would merge under the Buy With Confidence name. Since then the joint scheme has continued to grow, with Trading Standards services all over the country signing on – from Anglesey in Wales to Stirling in Scotland, via Cornwall in the far West and North East Lincolnshire on the East coast. There are now over 60 local authority Trading Standards Services supporting Buy With Confidence – that’s over four times as many as any comparable scheme.
The reason they’ve all signed up to support Buy With Confidence is that they believe it’s the business approval scheme that has the right procedures and safeguards to properly protect consumers. They know it’s a true Trading Standards Approved accreditation that isn’t for sale, and that it provides a level of vetting and assurance that they are happy to put their reputation behind.
They also know that it’s a great way to support those local businesses that take pride in their work and want to treat their customers right.
All this means that 20 years after its birth, member businesses can be truly proud to have achieved Buy With Confidence – Trading Standards Approved status, and their customers can rest assured that they’re dealing with a company they can trust.
From there it's grown to have thousands of member businesses across the country, all of which have been fully checked, vetted, monitored and approved by Trading Standards services
So whenever you need to find a business you can trust, make sure you use one that's Buy With Confidence - Trading Standards Approved.
Head over to buywithconfidence.gov.uk, put in your postcode and what type of business you're looking for, and find the relevant Buy With Confidence - Trading Standards Approved company closest to you. And don't forget to look out for the logo when you're shopping around for businesses!