Trading standards

Our Trading Standards Service carries out activities to protect and advise local consumers and businesses, and to maintain and improve trading standards. We are responsible for administering legislation that governs the quality, quantity, safety, price and description of goods and services.

We also provide money advice, with the aim of finding sensible solutions to debt problems.

Find out more about what we do under the following five headings:

Trading Practices

  • Investigate unfair trading practices

  • Take action against car clocking fraud

  • Take action against undisclosed traders

  • Take action against false trade descriptions

  • Monitor advertisements

  • Take action against misleading price displays

  • Undertake price/value surveys

  • Provide advice to businesses and give talks to traders and consumer groups

  • Inform consumers and traders of scam activity

  • Maintain links with neighbouring authorities to safeguard interests of traders and consumers

Quantity and Quality

  • Ensure the accuracy of all trade weights and measures

  • Investigate complaints of short weights or measures

  • Ensure that the quantity in factory-packaged goods is controlled

  • Carry out test purchase programmes

  • Provide calibration services for trade and industry

  • Carry out projects to monitor quantity of goods sold, such as petrol, coal and so on

  • Monitor animal foodstuffs and fertilisers for compliance with legislation

  • Monitor animal welfare, such as animal movement licensing

Consumer Safety

  • Take action to prevent the sale of unsafe goods

  • Ensure safe storage and supply of petroleum products

  • Enforce safe storage and sale of fireworks

  • Enforce legislation relating to underage sales

  • Ensure appropriate safety warnings are carried on chemical products

  • Sample and test consumer products such as toys, electrical goods, pushchairs, fireworks and so on

Consumer Advice

  • Advise consumers of their rights

  • Investigate consumer complaints

  • Advise businesses of their obligations in consumer contracts

  • Conciliate and arbitrate in disputes between consumers and traders

  • If complaints are not within remit of Trading Standards, endeavour to find the appropriate body to deal with them

  • Maintain links with neighbouring authorities to enable complaints to be resolved across council boundaries

Money Advice

  • Provide a free, confidential and comprehensive debt counselling service

  • Arrange debt adjustment and/or rescheduling

  • Provide court representation

  • Negotiate with creditors, including mortgage lenders

  • Assist with all aspects of insolvency

Our Commitment

  • We will respond to all consumer complaints and money advice enquiries within 48 hours

  • We will ensure all farms comply with the provisions of the Animal Health Act

  • Inspections of trade premises will be planned according to their risk categorisation, with high risk premises being visited more frequently

  • We will ensure that all e-commerce traders in East Renfrewshire comply with all legislation relevant to the Internet

Resources

The UK’s Trading Standards website provides helpful information for consumers and businesses. Use the following links to find out more:

Product recalls
Consumer Advice leaflets
Business Guidance leaflets
Useful Links
Ask Cedric

Contacts

Trading Standards
Protective Services
Capelrig House
Capelrig Road
Newton Mearns

Telephone: (0141) 577 3782