How TrustMark works for you

What is TrustMark?
Are you worried about picking names at random out of the phone book when you need work done on your home or garden? TrustMark, the Government endorsed operator, building industry and consumer groups are working together to stamp out rogue traders. TrustMark through scheme operators can help you find reputable firms to carry out repairs, maintenance or improvement work in and around your home.
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How TrustMark works for you How TrustMark works for you TrustMark helps you find reliable, trustworthy tradesmen to make improvements and repairs inside and outside the home. The TrustMark scheme is supported by government and consumer protection groups, which now includes for the first time in the UK a government endorsed ‘Tree Surgeon/Arborist’ listing through TreeCareApproved.org the newly appointed scheme operator licensed through BASE UK Ltd, one of the leading Arborist training schools in the UK. “What I like about TrustMark is that it imposes standards over and above the norm.” Paul Ramsden Deputy Chief Executive, Trading Standards Institute "Which? supports TrustMark through its scheme of providing access to good quality and reputable tradesmen.” Peter Vicary-Smith Chief Executive, Which? What makes selecting a TrustMark tradesman worthwhile? One in three homeowners are playing into the hands of rogue traders ~ UK householders inviting tradesmen into their homes risk being treated like doormats, according to recent published research. The report from TrustMark, the Government-backed scheme to help protect homeowners from cowboy builders and rogue traders, reveals that a third of UK (29%) householders admit to not complaining about shoddy work carried out in or around their homes. This puts them at risk of wasting cash or being left with unsuitable or unsafe home renovation projects. A registered firm's technical skills have been independently checked through regular on-site inspections, as well as checks on their trading record and financial status. Registered firms have signed up to a code of practice that includes insurance, good health and safety practices and customer care. The approved scheme operator has checked and will continue to monitor the registered firm's quality of work, trading practices and customer satisfaction. Registered firms are able to offer an Insurance Backed Warranty. Deposit Protection Insurance is available for consumers in the event a registered firm should cease trading. Should the consumer have a problem or disagreement with the registered firm, there will be a clear and user-friendly complaints procedure to help resolve the issue (read more) The scheme is fully supported by Government, the building industry and consumer protection groups. If a registered firm displays our TrustMark logo the consumer will know that we have approved and inspected the registered firm through one of our scheme operators and found that the registered firm meets the required Government endorsed criteria as described above. All of these checks will give consumers - Peace of Mind We check competencies so you don’t have to Why TreeCareApproved contractors stand out from the Crowd? Approved Contractors have been checked for adverse trading history, credit worthiness, references, insurances and technical competency and qualifications for the tasks advertised. Codes of Practice of the TrustMark for Arboriculture status means contractors will adhere to the codes of practice by which the scheme is run, they focus on consumer care and working to industry best practices. Vetting & Monitoring applicants will be subject to a two part vetting process which include adhering to the consumer complaints process, our registered contractors will be constantly monitored and subject to on-site inspections at least every 3 years. Consumer Care Policy all approved contractors will have signed up to our consumer care policy, to view click here Complaints Handling/Disciplinary Processes for the consumers peace of mind and confidence when employing an approved contractor. We offer consumers access to a user friendly complaints process that has been developed to be both balanced and independent. Consumer Protection warranties are available for your protection against loss of deposits and firms that may go into receivership/administration prior to works being completed. Clear and user friendly complaints procedure Clear and user friendly complaints procedure If things go wrong! How to deal with problems you might have, having used a TrustMark TreeCareApproved Registered Contractor If you’ve followed our advice on choosing a reputable TrustMark TreeCareApproved Registered Contractor and how to specify the work to be done, you’ve gone a long way to reducing the chance of any problems. But if you have cause for complaint about the performance of a TrustMark registered firm, follow this step-by-step complaints process: Step One Talk to the tradesman about the problem and give them a chance to put any problems right or to finish any work that is not finished. Stay calm, even if you are angry, and give evidence and examples to support your claims. Be fair, keep a written record and allow the firm the opportunity to respond to your points and fix any faults. Step Two If you are still not satisfied, you should send your complaint in writing or use our online facility and we will investigate your complaint. Our complaints procedure has been developed to be clear and fair. We will deal with complaints about the standard of work, materials and customer service. We the scheme operator may charge you for a full site inspection, however, if you or the tradesman takes legal action at this stage, we the scheme operator has the right to suspend or end the complaints process. If we the scheme operator agree with your complaint, the registered contractor will have to put the situation right. We the scheme operator may also decide on disciplinary action against the firm. Alternatively we the scheme operator may find that your complaint is not valid. In this case, you can appeal or move to step 3. Step Three If you are not happy with our decision, you can use a low-cost independent resolution service such as the mediation service, which has been provided for you. This service is designed to solve problems without going to court. If you feel that we the scheme operator have not followed our complaints procedure or dealt with the matter in the way we said we would, you can complain to TrustMark -step 4. Step Four You can complain to TrustMark about the way we the scheme operator handled your complaint. TrustMark will then investigate whether we the scheme operator, TreeCareApproved acted properly, however they cannot investigate the issue your original complaint was about as they must be unbiased in the way they operate. Step Five If TrustMark finds that we the scheme operator acted correctly, your complaint does not proceed further. If TrustMark finds that we the scheme operator was at fault, they can take a number of measures. These range from making us the scheme operator look at our complaint again, to taking disciplinary action against us the organisation, which could mean that TrustMark no longer approves us as a scheme operator. To refer your complaint to TrustMark, please submit your complaint to: TrustMark Englemere Kings Ride Ascot Berkshire SL5 7TB Complaints procedure designed to settle problems without the need for legal action. You can also download the information on this page in our simple one-page advice sheet on: How to complain about a TrustMark-registered firm.(PDF file) What sort of disciplinary action will be taken against a registered contractor that breaks the rules? TrustMark TreeCareApproved has a range of disciplinary measures in place in case a registered contractor does not meet the agreed standards. Serious cases may result in immediate expulsion but we would always rather the matter was resolved to all parties satisfaction. I’ve started legal proceedings against my registered contractor – can TreeCareApproved help me? No. Once legal proceedings have started against a registered contractor, we the scheme operator (or TrustMark itself) must suspend any investigation of your complaint. I’m simply not prepared to let the registered contractor back into my home to do any further work – can I have a different contractor to do repairs? No. Our procedures ask that you give the registered contractor a fair opportunity to complete the work or fix defects, provided it would not be unreasonable to expect you to do so. If you do not give the registered contractor the chance to make good its work, we as the scheme operator are entitled to end the complaints process. What compensation am I entitled to? We focus on helping you to get a good job done at a fair price; we do not give compensation. However, we the scheme operator operates a three stage

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What is TrustMark?

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