Pro Installer June 2014 - Issue 15 | Page 52

52 JUNE 2014 PRO INSTALLER PRO BUSINESS www.proinstaller.co.uk EU CONSUMER RIGHTS DIRECTIVE - ALL CONTRACTS MUST CHANGE BY 13th JUNE The GGF has provided this useful update on the new and imminent EU Consumer Rights Directive – and has also produced revised sets of Model Terms and Conditions for Members and non-members (see below). With the incoming (EU) Consumer Rights Directive coming into force on 13th June 2014, every Company must change its contract of terms and conditions by 13th June 2014. To help companies cope with the new legislation the Federation has now published revised Model Terms and Conditions of Contract, plus Guidance on implementation of the EU Consumer Rights Directive for both GGF Members and non-Members. The EU Consumer Rights Directive (CRD) is being implemented in the UK on the 13th June 2014. This is entirely separate legislation from the Consumer Rights Bill which is now due to be implemented in Summer 2015. The Government signed up to the CRD more than three years ago. The Directive is being implemented via legislation known as The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. The main issues are:• The cooling-off period for goods and services sold by distance or by off-premises selling will be harmonised across the EU to 14 days from date of delivery of the products • There are some important exemptions, one of which is for products “made to the consumer’s specification” – this will include such products as made-tomeasure windows made to a consumer’s specific requirements; another is for urgent repairs and maintenance when a consumer invites a trader to their home • There is a long list of pre-contract information which must be provided to consumers before a contract is made, including advising cancellation rights and if a trader belongs to a code of conduct, for example the GGF Consumer Code of Good Practice. Failure to provide certain items will give a consumer a cooling-off period of up to 379 days, and the trader would be liable to a fine of up to £5,000 The GGF has advised its Members of these upcoming changes for over a year TrustMark’s enhanced consumer protection through a range of improved standards and membership criteria, is designed to provide greater levels of consumer protection. Warren Stiles, FairTrades’ a revised set of Model Terms and Conditions for non-member companies which reflect changes necessary due to the implementation of the Directive. These Model Terms and the GGF’s Guidance to the CRD can be purchased by non-members at a combined cost of just £75. Purchasers will also receive a voucher to the value of £75 if they decide to join the GGF before the end of June 2015. If a company wishes to buy the Model Terms and GGF Guidance on the CRD, please email [email protected] with your details. Brian Smith, GGF Director of Home Improvement, will be presenting about the Consumer Rights Directive and the upcoming Con- sumer Rights Bill at the FIT Show seminars, on each day of the show (10-12 June) at 1.30pm. All companies are welcome to attend but must register via the FIT Show website. Book at: http:// www.fitshow.co.uk/seminars ‘Purchasers will also receive a voucher to the value of £75 if they decide to join the GGF before the end of June 2015’ Visit our website www.ggf.org.uk Revised Trustmark A ‘Real Boon’ To Consumer And Trade Says Fairtrades Warren Stiles of FairTrades FairTrades, the trade association that specialises in providing business benefits to home improvement installers, says the re-launch of the government-backed TrustMark scheme is ‘to be commended’ and is a ‘real boon’ to the consumer and the trade. now, following meetings between the GGF with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) in 2012. GGF Members have voted to retain the current 7 days cooling-off period from date of contract in the GGF Consumer Code of Good Practice in addition to the requirements of the new legislation. The GGF has produced a revised set of Model Terms and Conditions of Contract for its Members and also produced Guidance to the CRD specifically for the glazing, home improvements and renewable energy sector. These documents are now available via the Members area of the GGF website for Members to download free of charge. The GGF has also produced Client Development Manager, says that such steps can only be regarded as good for business. “There are those that see such measures as another barrier to overcome. We and our members have welcomed the tighter standards as being great for business through the creation of better relationships with their customers and product and installation benchmarks that alienate the poorer operators. Homeowners are far more likely to commit their money when they are comfortable that they are receiving great value in return.” The TrustMark revisions include more specific, firmer standards with members required to show how they are raising standards to address identified areas of consumer mistrust and performance. Tradesmen will be more rigorously vetted, upon entry to the scheme, at renewal and through on-going checks, and more proactive use of complaints data and increased transparency in the complaints process by scheme operators such as FairTrades, which is a member of the HomePro Group, a leading provider of insurance backed guarantee protection for homeowners. A further key commitment under the revisions is to step up protection and reduce misuse of the TrustMark brand. “We are delighted that TrustMark have made a commitment to dealing more vigorously with the TrustMark brand, the integrity of which is absolutely vital to our members who subscribe to the scheme and who have made the commitment to excellence for their customers. Unauthorised use of the brand must be enforced,” said Warren. “The timing of this is excellent as we have seen a significant increase in the number of enquiries received from homeowners for FairTrades members during the spring, which is continuing strongly as we move into the summer months. They are choosing FairTrades because of the protection we offer, including TrustMark.” As one of the leading Approved Scheme Operators of TrustMark, vetted members of FairTrades may become members of the TrustMark scheme, with both existing and new members having to commit to the more rigorous standards and vetting of the revised TrustMark membership criteria. Installers may discuss membership and IBG protection, the latter of which become mandatory on 6 June, at The FIT Show, stand 100, when it takes place on 10, 11, 12 June 2014. In one of the first major announcements from the joint industry and Government industrial strategy for construction, ‘Construction 2025’, the re-launch is designed to boost the reputation of tradesmen and consumer confidence in the domestic repairs, maintenance and improvement market by setting standards for customer service, good trading practices and technical competence.