Renfrewshire Council

Trading Standards

Complaints are only referred to your local Trading Standards Service in cases where criminal breaches may be suspected.

Investigation of criminal breaches cannot be used to effect a resolution to a consumer dispute. 

Trading Standards can:

• ensure a fair trading environment.
• investigate criminal breaches on behalf of consumers as a whole, if the criminal laws we enforce have been contravened.
• take enforcement action where appropriate.

Trading Standards can't

• obtain a refund for you, or take court action for you;
• recommend particular businesses or tell you which particular businesses to avoid (please use our Trusted Trader Scheme to find customer rated local businesses)
• investigate complaints about food hygiene or food standards. This is dealt with by Environmental Health.
• provide details about specific companies' trading practices, or investigations.

Visit the Chartered Trading Standards Institute website for more information.

Phone, internet, TV & radio and postal complaints

Contact Ofcom if you have a complaint or enquiry regarding these types of complaints about phone, internet, TV, radio or postal complaints.

Bank, insurance or finance complaints

The Financial Ombudsman Service

• was set up by parliament to sort out individual complaints that consumers and financial businesses aren't able to resolve themselves.
• is free to consumers.
• depending how complicated a case is, can sort out some complaints in just a few months. But some cases - for example, complaints about mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) - can take much longer.

They can look at complaints about most financial problems involving:

• PPI (payment protection insurance)
• banking
• insurance
• mortgages
• credit cards and store cards
• loans and credit
• payday lending and debt collecting
• pensions
• savings and investments
• hire purchase and pawnbroking
• money transfer
• financial advice
• stocks, shares, unit trusts and bonds.

Find out more about the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Purchases outside the UK

For advice on purchases made outside of the UK, go to the UK European Consumer Centre website.

Protect yourself from fraud

Some tips for protecting yourself against fraud:

• Stop: if you receive a request to make an urgent payment, change bank details or provide financial information, take a moment to stop and think.
• Challenge: Does something look wrong? Could it be a fraudster? Only criminals will try to rush and panic you.
• Protect: If you're concerned about something or think you've been scammed, report it. Do not feel ashamed or embarrassed. You are not alone.

You can find more advice about protecting yourself against fraud and cybercrime on the ActionFraud website.

Citizens Advice Scotland

Citizens Advice Scotland also have consumer advice on making complaints about energy, holidays and transport, cars, scams, purchases, insurance, water, phone, internet, TV, home improvements, change of mind, post, event tickets, pet care and customer discrimination.