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AUGUST 2013 PRO INSTALLER
PRO BUSINESS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
New powers to protect against rogue traders
Victims bullied or misled into buying goods and services are set to be given new rights to get their money back from rogue traders whose unfair practices cost them billions.
The new proposals, announced by Consumer Minister Jo Swinson, amending the Consumer Protection Regulations from Unfair Trading Regulations will:
• give consumers 90 days to cancel a contract and receive a full refund if they have been misled or bullied into agreeing it. After the 90 days consumers can still receive a proportion of their money back - currently, it is unclear what consumers are entitled to in this situation. • give consumers new rights to recover payments made to traders who mislead or bully them into paying money that was not owed - currently, the trader can be prosecuted but the consumer finds it much more difficult to get their money back. • give consumers the right to claim compensation for any alarm or distress caused by these practices.
CHANGES TO FABRICATOR HSE CONTACT AND INSTALLER ARRANGEMENTS
DATABASE PASSES 14,000 EMAIL CONTACTS
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has changed its contact arrangements to better direct those wishing to report an incident, notify workplace concerns or seek interpretation of guidance.
Following the decision to close Infoline in 2011, HSE no longer offers a telephone service for general information enquiries but has invested in making its website easier to use and its guidance simpler. Visitors to www.hse.gov.uk/contact will be directed one of four options: 1. report an injury at work (RIDDOR incident) 2. notify HSE of a workplace concern 3. make Gas Safety enquiries and notifications 4. obtain technical advice or interpretation of guidance HSE is urging business and the public to use the website in the first instance, either to find information or notify HSE. New forms have been introduced so enquiries can be submitted quickly and easily online. A small team will be available in office hours to deal with calls from those who are unable to use the website or require further technical clarification.
www.hse.gov.uk/contact
Insight Data has announced that 95% of window companies now use email, a rise of 50% in just three years. The number of fabricator and installer email contacts has risen from 9,000 in 2010 to a record 14,000 addresses in July 2013.
Helen CosteloeHughes, commercial director at Insight Data, explains;
“There is a real change in attitudes. While much of the industry is email-savvy, there has always been a strong element that was old-fashioned and preferred telephone and fax. But now even the most traditional window companies have moved to email.” Part of the change has been the growth of mobile devices such as iPhones and tablet computers, as fabricators and installers find these business tools indispensable and with 53% of people now using their mobile device to access emails. “With over 14,000 fabricator and installer email contacts, updated live in real-time by the Insight research team, this creates enormous opportunities for email marketing. At Insight Data we have seen a significant rise in open rates and enquiries from email as fabricators and installers are more open to email communication” adds Helen.
Charter Recommended By MPs To Stop Payment Abuse
The Fair Treatment Charter, created by StreetwiseSubbie.com Ltd’s founder and construction contracts expert Barry Ashmore, has been given formal recognition by MPs following the All Party Inquiry report. The report called for the Government to “work with SMEs ...to negotiate, for example, a Fair Treatment Charter” in order to help SMEs avoid payment abuse.
The Fair Treatment Charter (FTC) was suggested by Ashmore to the all party inquiry, held in April and chaired by Debbie Abrahams MP. Whilst the inquiry, was about late payment in all UK industries, it was considered that the construction industry suffers the worst.
The FTC has 12 simple points, all with the aim to level out the playing field for UK Specialist Contractors within the construction industry and prevent late payments and unfair treatment by large contractors. Ashmore put it forward as an effective solution to the issue that could be The report detailed further findings and recommendations, including the mandatory publishing of payment-times and Ashmore welcomed the publication of the report saying that “allowing a culture of late payment and brutal financial treatment to persist unchallenged is just plain wrong, and I am pleased that this report has given the StreetwiseSubbie Fair Treatment Charter formal recognition.”
‘an effective solution to the issue that could be implemented almost immediately at virtually no cost to the UK Government’
implemented almost immediately at virtually no cost to the UK Government. An attractive feature in these economically challenging times. performance data for the supply chain to access, and making fair payment a contractual requirement on all Government jobs.
For more information contact Insight on 01934 808293 or visit www. insightdata.co.uk
You can download the full report and a copy of the FTC at http://www. streetwisesubbie.com