Trading Standards Services Business Questionnaire

Please note that it is not our intention to ascertain the identity of your business.

1.	How many employees does your business have at store level?
	Less than 10 employees		More than 50 and less than 250 employees
	More than 10 and less than 50 employees		More than 250 employees

2.	How many employees does your business have in total within the organisation?
	Less than 10 employees		More than 50 and less than 250 employees
	More than 10 and less than 50 employees		More than 250 employees

3.	Please identify the retail sector within which your business operates -
	Clothing		Gardening Products
	Footwear		Disability Aids
	DIY/Hardware		Jewellery
	Car Sales		Toiletries/Cosmetics
	Furniture		Tobacco Products
	Carpets		Service Industry
	Electrical		Other (please specify Q3a)
	Food

3.a

4.	How do you perceive the role of Carmarthenshire County Council Trading Standards Services? (Note that enforcement relates to the enforcement of all criminal fair trading legislation)
	Solely as an Enforcement Agency		As an Enforcement Agency and an Advisory Agency
	Predominantly as an Enforcement Agency

5.	We are keen to identify the amount of interaction which takes place between your business and Trading Standards. To the best of your knowledge how much contact has there been between your business and Carmarthenshire Trading Standards Services over the last 3 years?
	No contact		6 - 10 instances
	1 -5 instances		More than 10 instances

6.	Which organisation would you initially approach for guidance on your legal obligations to customers upon selling goods/services ?
	Local Trading Standards Services.		Citizens Advice Bureau
	Consumer Direct		Other (please specify in Q6a)
	Solicitor

6.a

7.	In seeking guidance/advice, which is your preferred mode of communication?
	Letter		Face to face
	E Mail		Other (please specify)
	Telephone

7.a

8.	Carmarthenshire County Council Trading Standards Services presently reply to telephone requests for advice from businesses within 5 working days. Does this facility adequately meet your requirements?
	Yes		No

9.	If you have recently sought advice from Carmarthenshire Trading Standards Services, how did you rate the advice provided to your business?
	Excellent		Fairly Good
	Good		Poor

9.a	Comments:

10.	Regulatory services are often criticised for not highlighting important legislative changes to businesses. In your opinion, what would be the most appropriate means of communicating such information to businesses?
	Via E mail		Other Publications
	Via Carmarthenshire County Council Web Site		Officer Visits
	Leaflet distribution		Other (please specify in Q10a)
	Newspaper articles		Do not consider it to be an issue

10.a

11.	How receptive are our officers (Trading Standards) to requests for guidance and information during visits to your business?
	Very helpful		Generally unhelpful
	Fairly helpful

12.	Would your business see any advantage in receiving joint visits from the regulatory sector, i.e. Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Fire Service etc?
	Yes		No

13.	Does your business operate any Quality Control procedure, e.g. ISO 9001?
	Yes (please answer Q13a)		No (please continue to Q14)

13.a	Does your business have dedicated members of staff who deal with compliance issues, customer care, Quality Control etc?
	Yes (please answer Q13b)		No

13.b	Please specify role(s)

14.	Does your business provide staff with any training pertaining to Consumer Protection Legislation?
	Yes (please answer Q14a)		No (please continue to Q15)

14.a	If you have answered yes, please categorize the mode of training as follows -
	Formal Training Programme incorporating Evaluation, at distinct intervals etc.		Ad Hoc Training as and when required
	Informal Training

15.	How well informed do you feel about your legal obligations to customers, i.e. knowing what your customers are entitled to if something you’ve supplied is faulty etc?
	Very well informed		Not very well informed
	Fairly well informed		Not at all informed

16.	Does your organisation have a mechanism/protocol in place to deal with complaints, retention of customers etc?
	Yes		No

17.	Does your business operate a Returns Policy, i.e. Providing refunds/replacements upon non-faulty goods?
	Yes		No

18.	Are you familiar with the concept of the “reversal of the burden of proof”, as prescribed in the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002? (i.e. when consumers allege that goods do not conform with the contract within six months from supply, it is up to the business to prove that the goods are not faulty etc)
	Yes		No

19.	In your opinion do you consider that your business often provides customers with redress, e.g. full refund/replacement, even though they may not be legally entitled to such a service?
	Yes		No

20.	Would your business see the benefit in the implementation of “Reputable Traders Scheme” within Carmarthenshire?
	Yes		No

21.	Would you welcome a free dedicated business advice hotline provided by the Local Authority to cater for Regulatory issues?
	Yes		No

22.	Do you have any further comments or suggestions that would help us improve our service?