News Room

Camden Council wins test appeal case against lettings agency 'administration fees'

Posted: 14/09/2017

In a test case of national significance, Camden Council has successfully appealed against Foxtons Ltd using the term “administration fees” in their lettings agency work, leading to a penalty charge totalling £18,000. 

Counterfeit perfume contained dangerous levels of methanol

Posted: 13/09/2017

A couple who sold counterfeit perfume containing dangerous levels of methanol among other items have been handed an 18-month conditional discharge and been ordered to pay costs of over £1,000.

Rogue trader who conned the elderly jailed

Posted: 13/09/2017

A Runcorn 'rogue trader' has been jailed for 19 months for duping elderly residents into paying for work that was never carried out, in a case brought by Halton Borough Council. 

Oldham car dealer made to pay for unfair practices

Posted: 12/09/2017

Oldham Council has successfully prosecuted a car salesman for misleading two customers.

CTSI backs LGA call for mandatory food hygiene ratings display

Posted: 09/09/2017

Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has today backed a call from the Local Government Association (LGA) to oblige all food premises in England to display their food hygiene ratings.

London Trading Standards Announce First City-Wide Campaign

Posted: 07/09/2017

London Trading Standards (LTS) is launching its first city-wide awareness campaign, aimed at showcasing efforts to ensure consumers and reputable businesses are protected across the capital.

Over half of drivers don’t know where to turn when buying and servicing their first car

Posted: 05/09/2017

A study by The Motor Ombudsman, the automotive dispute resolution provider, has found that over half (54%) of respondents had very limited or no knowledge at all when choosing which garage to buy their first car from.

CTSI Director Reiterates Need for Reform

Posted: 04/09/2017

Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) Director of Policy, Adam Scorer, spoke to BBC Radio 5 on Monday, reiterating the Institute's call for change. This follows a coroner's report that a faulty Whirlpool tumble dryer was the likely cause of two deaths in a flat fire in North Wales.

Pokemon – "No" says Enfield Council

Posted: 10/08/2017

It was a case of you haven’t “Gotta get ‘em all” after Enfield Council prosecuted a company for selling dangerously flammable Pokemon cushions which were suspected of being fake.

Press release: EU Car hire complaints and enquiries rise almost 30% in a year

Posted: 04/08/2017

Complaints and enquiries about car hire in the EU rose by almost 30% over a year compared to the same period the previous year, the UK European Consumer Centre (UK ECC) states.

From July 2016 to June 2017there were 629complaints and enquiries compared to 486the year before (July 2015 to June 2016) - that's an increase of 29.4%. The previous year (July 2014 to June 2015), there were a similar number of complaints and enquiries - 498.

Only 52% of UK retailers 'confident' to sell online according to European Commission

Posted: 04/08/2017

Only 52% of UK retailers 'confident' to sell online according to European Commission report

UK consumers may be amongst the savviest e-shoppers, but apparently it is a different picture for retailers.

According to the European Commission's 2017 Consumer Condition Scoreboard, many retailers are reluctant to expand their online activities because of concerns over fraud or because they fear they will not get paid when selling cross-border to consumers in other EU countries.

The report shows that different tax rules also make retailers reluctant to venture in cross-border sales. Only about 52% of UK retailers (EU: 58%) felt "confident" to sell online, compared to 80.3% of Greek businesses. 

CTSI urges government to use the summer to prepare a radical overhaul of the UK product safety regime

Posted: 19/07/2017

CTSI Director of Policy, Adam Scorer responds to the 'Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety' report.