One of the major aims of the trading standards service is for consumers to be informed and confident.
Has your car has been serviced properly? Are your ‘designer’ clothes really designer clothes? Are those ‘amazing offers’ in jewellery or perfume all they’re cracked up to be? Have you always been a satisfied customer?
Trading standards professionals (TSPs) come face to face with consumers on all sorts of occasions. Recently, for example, people have bought:
necklaces that glow in the dark, only to regret it when the toxic liquid in the pretty glow’s plastic tubing causes irritation to skin and eyes
black henna tattoos, and have found themselves permanently scarred because of a chemical dye that causes blisters and sores
slimming pills that are filled with useless rubbish, giving heartburn rather than a waist to die for
dolls from a street market traders, intended to be presents for young children, that start swearing when taken out of the box.
Accurate labelling, warnings and protection through surveillance at points of sale ensure that customers are fully informed about what they are buying and can be reasonably confident that everything is genuine and safe. TSPs do that for us. When there are problems, TSPs are there to help and get it sorted out.
Consumer advisers are always available to help consumers and sometimes intervene on their behalf with traders who are trying to pull a fast one. They will help check out those who are wilfully passing on doubtful goods and services or are refusing refunds for a faulty or misleading sale – whether it’s in the high street stores, the street markets or a big holiday or insurance company.
