Mark Checks Trading Standards
11 Sep 2009
Mark visited the Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Office on Guildhall Street in Preston on Wednesday 9th September 2009 to find out how consumers can get help with goods and services.
The Trading Standards Service can offer help and advice to consumers before purchasing goods as well as when problems occur afterwards with a product or service received. Trading Standards also carries out checks on businesses to ensure that consumers are getting what they pay for as well as enforcing legislation controlling the quantity, quality, price, description, and safety of most goods and services. Other duties also include animal health, petroleum and explosives enforcement and licensing activities.
Issues concerning tax refund scams, fake ‘Zam Zam’ water, unlicensed charity collections and nuisance doorstep fish salesmen are just a few of the problems that Trading Standards have dealt with in the Lancashire area.
Mark said: “I was interested to learn about the different issues that The Trading Standards Office has to deal with on a day-to-day basis and encouraged to see how enthusiastic the team were about helping consumers”.
Lancashire’s Trading Standards have teamed up with organisations to warn residents that illegal moneylenders are targeting vulnerable people in poorer parts of the county. The team warn that loan sharks will not issue receipts and paperwork, so that payments are not recorded and debt can mount up. They don’t operate with credit licences and interest rates can be more than 2,000%. They use violence and weapons to intimidate their victims into continuing to pay debt for years.
The Trading Standards have created more information about loan sharks to view, visit their website www.stoploansharks.gov.uk, or contact the team on 0300 555 222; email stoploansharks@lancashire.gov.uk or text ‘loan shark’ and the message to 60003. For general consumer advice visit the website www.consumerdirect.gov.uk or contact the team on 08454 040 506.