Clearview National March 2017 - Issue 184 | Page 8

INDUSTRYNEWS

Trade and Consumer Federation welcomes Bonfield Review

National Federation of Glaziers was founded in 1991 . It is a Trade and Consumer Federation representing individuals and organisations engaged in the glazing industry and consumers who purchase from them .
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AS A SOCIAL BUSINESS IT IS A NOTfor-profit business that has a social purpose ( to serve the Common Good ); any profits that are generated are , after tax , retained in the business , used for the development of the Federation and used to keep Membership Fees ( it ’ s only source of income ) to a minimum . Its sole employee is a Membership Secretary , all other office holders are retained on an honorary basis , receiving minimal expenses .
Here is the Federation ’ s response from Chairman , Anthony C Jones FIAM FinstSMM , to the Bonfield review submitted earlier this year :
1 . The Federation welcomes the Bonfield Review and agrees that impartial , unbiased information is urgently needed to ensure consumers receive correct advice when purchasing energy improving measures for their homes . Therefore , the proposal of an Information Hub is extremely welcome .
2 . The current situation is that the glazing industry has , through Building Regulation revisions since 2002 , led to accept Energy Efficiency Labels as the principle means of certification of an installation being compliant to Part L ( Energy Efficiency ) of the current Building Regulations . a ) The Energy Efficiency Labels are easily recognisable by the consumer , having been used for some time on white goods . Using this advantage an inaccurate system ( which in the eyes of many well informed members of our industry is regarding no more than a “ sales gimmick ”) has evolved , has become discredited and in our view is misleading to the consumer . We hope than when the Information Hub is established this standard will be replaced with meaningful and accurate energy saving information relevant to the home in question .
3 . Of major concern to this Federation are what has been described as Customer Interfacing Skills . We are , as an industry , unfortunately , burdened by the use of ( mostly self-employed ) salespeople trained and incentivised to obtain sales with misleading information , bogus claims of performance and spurious discounts to pressure consumers into placing orders immediately . This anti-social activity may be termed as high-pressure or intimidatory selling . a ) Under our Commitment to Good Practice ( established in 1999 ), to which all members are bound , this kind of so-called salesmanship is prohibited . Unlike other codes of conduct , we do not permit lengthy visits to potential consumers . b ) It is true that the consumer has a “ cooling off ” period , but it is the experience of those established members of industry , this does not work for the most vulnerable . Often attempts to cancel a contract result in further telephone calls or visits using further high-pressure sales techniques . Few people in this situation complain ; it is too stressful .
Sadly , the feedback we receive from both organisations in our industry and from consumers lead us to believe that conditions in this respect have not improved since the 2013 OFT Report . c ) We agree , therefore , that a Consumer Charter and Code of Conduct is urgently needed . We are most interested in having a positive and unbiased input to this document . Our Commitment to Good Practice , although produced for the glazing industry , may provide a good starting point . It covers every area of operation , but there may be a need for greater detail in some sections .
‘ Too often in the past Government departments have been reluctant to fund awareness campaigns , with the result that consumers are not properly informed ’
4 . We feel it is absolutely essential that the Quality Mark , which is proposed , is given maximum publicity . Too often in the past Government departments have been reluctant to fund awareness campaigns , with the result that consumers are not properly informed . Relying upon members of the industry , when there are commercial pressures , to provide full information of regulations has not worked . a ) Building Regulations were brought in 2002 for replacement windows and doors . There are many consumers who are still ignorant of these regulations ( 15 years after the event ). b ) Construction ( Design and Management ) 2015 regulations are mentioned at various points of the report . Our recent survey has found that very few installers and even fewer consumers have heard of these regulations and have no idea that the extended scope of their application .
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