GOVERNMENT REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO SCHEME DESIGNED TO HELP CONSUMERS FIND REPUTABLE TRADESPEOPLE
B&ES, the Building & Engineering Services Association who operate the free consumer advice service the Heating Helpline, welcomes the news that the Government has recently reaffirmed its commitment to the TrustMark scheme – unlike many other commercially driven schemes, TrustMark is a not-for-profit organisation and the only scheme that verifies the technical competence of its members.
13 May 2014 – The public could be forgiven for getting confused about the plethora of ‘trade competence’ schemes around designed to help them locate reputable tradespeople; several have emerged in recent years, most of which are commercially driven organisations with varying criteria for membership. To create some clear water between these and the only high profile scheme that is both a not-for-profit organisation and verifies the technical competence of a company before they can join, the Government has recently reaffirmed its commitment to TrustMark, with Peter Hansford, Government Chief Construction Adviser saying, “The message from Government is simple. TrustMark is the scheme we are backing.”
Roderick Pettigrew, Chief Executive of B&ES, the Building & Engineering Services Association, who operate the free consumer advice service the Heating Helpline, comments, “The Government has rightly been concerned that there are simply too many trade competence schemes around now creating confusion amongst consumers. Most of them are commercially driven with a profit motive and some frankly have minimal criteria for membership. This is why we are delighted to hear that the Government has just reaffirmed its commitment to TrustMark with a strong vote of confidence in its future growth. By some margin the TrustMark Scheme operates the most rigorous entry criteria for member companies and, importantly, it’s the only scheme that verifies the technical competence of a company before they can join. Furthermore, TrustMark firms are able to offer an Insurance Backed Warranty and, in the unlikely event that the customer is not entirely satisfied with the work, there is a clear and user-friendly complaints procedure to help resolve the issue.”
Consumer Minister, Jenny Willott, said, “TrustMark gives consumers more confidence in their tradesman when spending their hard earned cash. Every trader who has signed up to the scheme has been independently assessed for their competence.”
TrustMark is a not-for-profit organisation, licensed by Government and supported by consumer protection groups. It was set up specifically to help homeowners and consumers locate local reputable tradespeople to carry out quality improvements, repairs and maintenance work on their home or garden – a market estimated to be worth £26 billion annually.
Roderick Pettigrew adds, “By employing the services of TrustMark registered traders homeowners can be assured that they are using a firm that operates according to industry best practice, with a standard of workmanship that has been independently verified.”
The TrustMark scheme covers many of the trades householders look for such as builders, heating engineers, plumbers, electricians, glaziers, roofers, landscape gardeners and damp-proof specialists. B&ES is an official operator for heating, plumbing sector and air conditioning and was one of the first trade associations to join the scheme. All B&ES members that undertake gas work are also Gas Safe registered.
For more information about the Trustmark scheme visit: http://www.trustmark.org.uk. For advice on home heating and energy saving including how to locate a qualified, registered heating engineer, visit: http://www.heatinghelpline.org.uk.
Ends
Issued on behalf of the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) by Next Step Marketing Ltd
Media enquiries to: Heather Lambert. Tel: 44(0)1256 472020;
Fax: 44(0)1256 471010; E-mail: heather@nextstepmarketing.co.uk
Notes to editors
TrustMark is the national quality badge for reputable tradesmen in the domestic RMI (repair, maintenance and improvement) sector. Currently there are more than 14,000 individual firms within TrustMark, providing more than 23,000 approved trade services covering a wide range of work in and around the home. The majority of TrustMark registered firms are SMEs. They are vetted, inspected and monitored within the scheme by 28 scheme operators including major trade associations, certification bodies and retailers.
Since its formation in 1904, B&ES, the Building & Engineering Services Association (formerly the HVCA) has represented the interests of companies engaged in a wide range of building and engineering services including domestic heating and renewable technologies.
B&ES members are subject to regular, third-party inspection and assessment of their technical competence and commercial capability, carried out by an independent certification body at least every three years.
B&ES members who undertake gas installations are registered with Gas Safe – the gas safety watchdog body – and are also members of TrustMark, the Government-endorsed scheme designed to direct customers towards reliable tradespeople.
B&ES operates the Heating Helpline (http://www.heatinghelpline.org.uk) to provide consumers with free, impartial advice on every aspect of home heating, including gas safety.
Tags:
