Where to go for help in UK?

by www.oft.gov.uk

 

The OFT cannot advise consumers about their particular disputes.
If you need consumer advice or information on specific consumer rights, please call the Consumer Direct advice service on 08454 04 05 06 or visit the:
Consumer Direct website.


For all general enquiries and guidance on the work of OFT, please contact OFT Enquiries on 08457 22 44 99, or email enquiries@oft.gsi.gov.uk enquiries@oft.gsi.gov.uk

Calls to the OFT or Consumer Direct 0845 number are charged at no more than four pence per minute from a BT landline. Call charges from other landline providers or mobile phones may vary. Please check the rate with your phone provider.

You can also contact OFT Enquiries through our switchboard on 020 7211 8000. Or write to: Office of Fair Trading, Fleetbank House, 2-6 Salisbury Square, London, EC4Y 8JX.


You can also contact other organisations listed under the following topics, who may be able to help.
Please note that links to other websites open in a new browser window.

General consumer rights
Arbitration
Cars
Credit and debt
Electrical goods
Estate agent
Furniture
Holidays
Legal services
Mail order
Small claims procedure
Unsolicited calls / mail / faxes
Utilities (water, gas, electricity)
General consumer rights
Trading standards departments


Advise on everyday shopping problems. They also have powers to investigate complaints about false or misleading descriptions or prices, inaccurate weights and measures, consumer credit and (except in Northern Ireland) the safety of consumer goods. Links to trading standards departments throughout the UK are found at www.tradingstandards.gov.uk


Citizens advice bureaux
Help on a variety of problems including shopping complaints. To find your local CAB look at standards departments throughout the UK are found at www.citizensadvice.org.uk


Law Centres
Provide free advice by solicitors and specialist caseworkers in areas such as employment, immigration, welfare benefits, housing and discrimination. To find your local office, look at www.lawcentres.org.uk.


Ombudsmen
The British and Irish Ombudsman Association immigration, welfare benefits, housing and discrimination. To find your local office, look at (www.bioa.org.uk) publishes a directory of ombudsman schemes and complaint-handling bodies in the UK and Ireland.


This gives brief details about each scheme and how to contact it by telephone, fax, letter or email.

Arbitration
Chartered institute of arbitrators
Details of their consumer scheme is at
www.arbitrators.org


Scottish council for arbitration
Details of their schemes can be found at www.scottish-arbitrators.org


Cars
The National Conciliation Service
Deals with complaints about used cars, repairs and servicing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. More information at www.rmif.co.uk

Customer Complaints Service, Scottish motor trade association
Deals with complaints about used cars, repairs and servicing in Scotland.
More information at www.smta.co.uk

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Complaints about cars still under a manufacturer's warranty. More information at www.smmt.co.uk


Credit and debt
Federation of information and advice centres
Contact independent advice agencies through the FIAC at www.adviceuk.org.uk


National debtline
Telephone helpline for people with debt problems. More information at
www.nationaldebtline.co.uk


Consumer credit counselling service
Provides free confidential service to help achieve realistic solutions to debt problems, avoid bankruptcy and learn to handle money. More information at www.cccs.co.uk


Financial Services Compensation Scheme
Acts as a final safety net for consumers who have claims against authorised financial firms who are unable to pay them because, for example, they have gone out of business. It covers deposits, insurance and investments.
More information at www.fscs.org.uk


Financial ombudsman scheme
Provides consumers with free independent advice for resolving disputes with financial firms.
More information at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk


Electrical goods
Radio Electrical and Television Retailers' Association Ltd
Find whether a retailer is a member at www.retra.co.uk


Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Electrical Appliances
Find whether a retailer is a member. Contact details can be found at www.amdea.org.uk


Domestic Appliance Service Association
Find whether a retailer is a member at www.dasa.org.uk


Estate agents
Ombudsman for Estate Agents Scheme
Deals with complaints against one of its members. More information at www.oea.co.uk


Furniture
Qualitas National Conciliation Service
Check to see whether a furniture retailer has signed up to the Qualitas code of practice.
More details can be found at www.qualitas.uk.com


Holidays
Air Travel Organiser's Licence
ATOL protects the public from losing money or being stranded abroad because of the failure of air travel firms.
More information at www.atol.org.uk


Association of British Travel Agents
Offers advice on travel related subjects and can verify whether a travel agent or tour operator is a member of ABTA.
More information at www.abta.com


Air Transport Users Council
Advise air travellers on their rights.
More information at www.auc.org.uk


Association of Independent Tour Operators
Check whether a tour operator is a member of AITO.
More information at www.aito.co.uk


Federation of Tour Operators
Check whether a tour operator is a member of the FTO at www.fto.co.uk


Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Offers travel and consular advice at www.fco.gov.uk


UK Passport Service
Offers passport information as well as a facility to apply online at www.ukpa.gov.uk


Customs and Excise
Offers advice on customs and excise at www.hmce.gov.uk


Timeshare Council
Provides advice to consumers with timeshare problems at www.timeshare.org.uk


DTI timeshare advice
Provides timeshare advice at www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/facts/timeshare.htm


Legal services
Legal services ombudsman
Investigates the way complaints about a lawyer are dealt with by the lawyer's own professional body.
More information at www.olso.org


Scottish Legal Services ombudsman
Investigates complaints about the way in which a professional body has handled a complaint against a legal practitioner.
More information at www.slso.org.uk


Mail order
Mail Order Traders' Association
Search whether a mail order company is a member. Contact details can be found at www.adassoc.org.uk


Direct Marketing Association
Search whether a mail order company is a member at www.dma.org.uk


National Newspaper Safe Home Ordering Protection Scheme (SHOPS)
Provides compensation to readers of national newspapers when the consumer buys directly from advertisements and catalogues inserted in national newspapers.
More information at: www.shops-uk.org.uk


Small claims procedure
If you decide to go to court, there is a special, low-cost way of suing for small amounts by using the small claims procedures in the county court (sheriff court in Scotland). The small claims procedure is meant for people to use on their own, without a solicitor representing them. Leaflets explaining the procedure are available from your county court office and the Citizen's Advice Bureau, who can also help you fill in the forms.


The most you can claim by using the small claims procedure is:

"   Ã‚£5,000 in England and Wales
"   Ã‚£750 in Scotland
"   Ã‚£2,000 in Northern Ireland


The court service
Explains small claims procedure and information about fees at www.courtservice.gov.uk


Community Legal Service Direct
Explains small claims procedure www.clsdirect.org.uk


Scottish courts service
Explains small claims procedure and information about fees in Scotland at www.scotcourts.gov.uk


Northern Ireland court service
Explains small claims procedure and information about fees in Northern Ireland at www.courtsni.gov.uk


Unsolicited calls/mail/faxes
Mailing preference scheme
Removes your postal details from unwanted mailing lists. Contact details can be found at www.dma.org.uk


Telephone preference scheme
Enables consumers to opt-out of receiving unsolicited sales and marketing calls.
More details at www.tpsonline.org.uk


Fax preference service
Enables consumers to opt-out of receiving unsolicited sales and marketing faxes at home.
More details at www.fpsonline.org.uk


Utilities energywatch
Complaints about gas and electricity companies. To find your local office, look at www.energywatch.org.uk


Office of Communications
The Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) ceased to exist at the end of December 2003.
Its work has been taken over by the Office of Communications (Ofcom).
Ofcom is the regulator for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services. www.ofcom.org.uk


Office of Water Services
Complaints should go to your local water company in the first instance. If you want to take it up further, look at www.ofwat.gov.uk


Consumer Council for Water
A national consumer watchdog agency for the water industry.
www.ccwater.org.uk


Postwatch Help with complaints about the postal service. To find your regional office, look at www.postwatch.co.uk

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