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A:
The OFT (Office of Fair Trading) logo represents a code of conduct
for traders in the UK. The purpose of the code is to offer businesses
a way to adhere to a higher level of consumer protection than the
law of the UK currently provides. An official source of the code
is given at,
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/before_you_buy/think_of/codes-of-practice
The basic premise of the code is to ensure that when a problem
does arise, that the trader will do everything in their power to
treat the customer fairly. Alongside that guideline, a superior
level of customer service should be given, the business should also
provide information about their service and products which is clearly
defined and is customer friendly. But the meat of the code is in
dealing with complaints. And the most practical of the rules is
for a business to provide free or partially cover the cost of an
arbitration case should the matter be unresolved. One current problem
with the code is it's lack of publicity. Most consumers probably
do not know it exists, what the logo represents, or discover whether
a business is signed up to the code or not (network
members). TrustMark,
is another government sponsored scheme, little known, but aims to
provide consumers with a safety net when dealing with the building
industry. The scheme currently has 16,442 tradesmen signed up to
the scheme, which is similar to the OFT Approved logo, a code to
provide consumers with additional peace of mind, and are able to
'buy with confidence'.
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