The UK Consumer Protection Agency

About The UK Consumer Protection Agency (UKCPA)

Formed to help protect innocent consumers and genuine businesses from rogue traders, The UK Consumer Protection Agency (UKCPA) is a community of independent small to medium sized businesses and consumers dedicated to the preservation of the highest trading standards and the promotion of integrity and professionalism.

We promote reputable businesses.

Our mission is to provide consumers with easy access to a community of professional, vetted and monitored businesses, and those whose services are checked on an ongoing basis.

Our vision is of building sustainable business on the foundations of trust, integrity, professionalism and customer service.

Our key people have studied for and been awarded the Trading Standards Institute’s - Fair Trading Award. That ensures excellence in all their dealings with our members and their customers.

The almost constant stream of news stories and consumer television reports about consumer complaints, price wars, and unscrupulous businesses gives the impression that few small businesses have high standards or are trustworthy.

We know that’s not true. And we’re determined to prove that and help win back consumers confidence.

Code Of Practice

• Be courteous - treat customers and their property with respect.
• Do not take full payment in advance.
• Keep customers informed of any additional charges and call out fees.
• Put all estimates and quotations in writing on business stationery.
• Keep all receipts for materials used during the project.
• Keep customer informed of any changes during the project.
• Notify customer if you will be late or unable to keep appointments.
• Return customer's calls.
• Give realistic work commencement dates.
• Be honest at all times.
• Produce any replacement parts if requested, before leaving the customer.
• Agree to be vetted by the UKCPA at anytime during your membership.
• Keep UKCPA informed of any important changes to the business.
• If asked by customers, produce insurance certificates.
• Do not mislead customers about UKCPA membership, and make it clear that the UKCPA does not form any part of a guarantee or accept liability

What you do

Customers are invited to fill in a questionaire on the completion of a job. The results of the questionaire are collated by the UK Consumer Protection Agency and the results are made available to the public for inspection.