Trading Standards

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• Trading Standards Team: Enforcement and Service Standards

Our Trading Standards Division works closely with consumers and businesses, offering informal advice, backed up by appropriate enforcement procedures, in the interests of encouraging a fair trading environment in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Consumers who have complaints, will, in the first instance, be referred to Consumer Direct, the national consumer advice service. We will, where possible, help consumers whose complaints are forwarded on to us by Consumer Direct. The telephone number for Consumer Direct is 08454 040506.

If you want to contact us please email trading.standards@rbkc.gov.uk or phone020 7361 3002. Please note that consumers will be referred to Consumer Direct in the first instance.

Important: We can only deal with problems that occur in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea or if you are a resident of the borough. If you have any doubt over which local authority can deal with your complaint contact Trading Standards Central, a one stop shop for consumer protection information in the UK run by the Trading Standards Institute.

For information on our enforcement policy see Directorate of Environmental Health Enforcement Policy. [PDF file] (File size 289Kb).

Complaints

Complaints from members of the public are, in the first instance, referred to Consumer Direct. Call 08455 040506. If they identify a criminal breach of trading standards or need specialist help, they may refer the complaint back to the trading standards team.

If you run, or work for, a business in the borough and need some advice, please call our Environmental Health Line on 020 7361 3022. We will try to call you back the same day, or if this is not possible, the next day.

Inspections

Officers carry out routine inspections of a wide variety of commercial premises and will offer advice on compliance with Trading Standards legislation. On some occasions, for example, where officers suspect dishonest, unscrupulous, unfair or unsafe trading practices may be taking place they may carry out their inspections incognito.

The following are examples of some of the principal Trading Standards activities:

Safety: all consumer goods are required by law to be safe. Certain products such as toys, electrical goods and cosmetics, which have specific safety requirements enforced by trading standards, are tested in specialist laboratories.

Upholstered furniture must comply with flammability requirements. This is dealt with by the routine inspection of retailers and investigation of complaints regarding furniture in rented accommodation.

Some of the legislation enforced is specifically intended to protect children. This includes controls on the sale of cigarettes, videos and fireworks.

Weights and Measures

Most weighing and measuring equipment in trade use, including petrol pumps, scales and alcohol measures, must be regularly tested for accuracy by a Trading Standards Officer. Officers also check the weight of goods in supermarkets, greengrocers, butchers, and other retail premises. Complaints relating to 'short measures' are investigated to make sure that customers get what they pay for.

Consumer Credit

Companies and individuals have to be licensed to operate a credit or hire-related business. Those running unlicensed credit businesses are often little more than "loan sharks" and are liable to face prosecution. Trading Standards Officers regularly give advice on credit-related issues and are also responsible for enforcing controls on the content and form of advertisements regarding credit terms.

Home Authority

The Royal Borough is home to the head offices of many national and multinational companies. Trading Standards Officers regularly advise and assist these companies to ensure fair and consistent trading practices in all their outlets nationwide.

Related Information

• Trading Standards Team: Enforcement and Service Standards

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