Businesses urged to sign up to Buy With Confidence scheme
Devon and Somerset Trading Standards will be holding an event on Tuesday 11 November between 6.30pm and 8.30pm to coincide with the launch of their new branding and website for their Buy With Confidence Approved Business Scheme.
The event which will be held at Grange Jaguar and Aston Martin dealership in Marsh Barton, Exeter, is free to attend, and will allow local businesses to learn more about the scheme and its benefits.
During the evening there will be demonstrations of the newly branded website, and Trading Standards officers and current scheme members will be on hand to discuss the scheme with interested businesses. They will also be shown the new logo which adds a 'Trading Standards Approved' stamp with a tick to the existing logo.
The event is a significant step for Devon and Somerset Trading Standards in raising the profile of the scheme within the region.
Cabinet member with responsibility for Trading Standards, Cllr Roger Croad said; “Every business listed on the website from tradesmen, to IT specialists, to marketing companies, are all audited and approved by your local Trading Standards Officer. With the new website and logo, Trading Standard’s involvement in the scheme is instantly more recognisable, which should give businesses and consumers confidence in using the scheme and its members.”
Director of ISCA Digital Ltd, Exeter, and member of the scheme, Richard Carpenter said; “The scheme is a fantastic idea to help promote good honest businesses and lets members show themselves as keepers of the highest standards when compared to their competitors. With the new logo we’ll be able to better show our Trading Standards approval, which will hopefully mean more customers will want to use us”
To attend the event please call TS on 01392 383000, asking for Lee Taylor or Janet Quinn, or email info@enterpriseassist.co.uk
Notes to Eds.
For further information please contact:
Devon Trading Standards: Dolores Riordan, Operations Manager, on 01392 383000 (office) or 07973 437598 (mobile).
The Buy With Confidence scheme was first launched by Hampshire Trading Standards in 1999. At around the same time, Devon Trading Standards initiated a similar scheme called ‘CustomerFirst’. The two schemes became successful, and were also adopted by neighbouring Trading Standards Services. As the schemes grew larger and began sharing information, it became clear that there were benefits to working together under the same rules and branding.
The two schemes merged formally in 2008 as ‘Buy With Confidence’, by which time over 20 local authorities were participating. Buy With Confidence is the largest scheme of its kind nationally and continues to expand its geographical coverage. It is now run in 50 local authorities and has over 5000 members nationwide.
The intention of Buy With Confidence is to provide a register of businesses that have been thoroughly vetted and approved by Trading Standards. Buy With Confidence is independently run by the local authority Trading Standards departments, it is not run for profit and all funds received to the scheme from membership fees are ploughed back into the scheme to further it’s continuation, development and promotion.’
Full details of the scheme and its benefits can be found on its web pages at www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk
