Trading standards

Bury Trading Standards are accredited to BS EN ISO9002 quality Systems.

With a staff of 13, Trading Standards provides advice and assistance to individuals and businesses throughout the Borough. We enforce hundreds of pieces of UK and European Legislation.

What do Trading Standards do?

The Trading Standards Service is divided broadly into two main areas of work, namely Consumer Advice and Trading Standards Enforcement.

Who can get help?

Bury residents who have bought goods and services from Bury or elsewhere.
Traders based in Bury or companies whose head office or manufacturing plant is in Bury.
Residents of other local authorities who have travelled to Bury and bought goods and services from traders based in Bury.

How do I get help with my consumer problems?

Initial advice and support for consumers in Bury is provided by Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline - a telephone and online consumer advice service, which is supported by local authorities in the North West and by the Department of Trade and Industry.Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline works in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Advice Services.

What can be expected from consumer advice?

Our Fair Trading Officers offer advice to traders and consumers alike regarding the laws relating to the sale of goods and supply of services.
Explain civil law relevant to a complaint.
Provide guidance leaflets on a range of subjects.
If you cannot resolve the matter yourself Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline may refer you to our Fair Trade Officers who may intervene on your behalf.
Where a case cannot be resolved amicably, advice may be given on action in the small claims court. This will involve advice on collating evidence and assistance with court forms where necessary.
In cases where there are breaches of criminal law, the Fair Trading Officers will refer the complaint to the Trading Standards enforcement teams.

In addition, the Fair Trading Officers can give talks about Trading Standards work to schools, colleges and other interested groups.

We cannot:

Demand refunds, replacement or apologies from traders on your behalf.
Intervene with the trader regarding compensation due to you while a complaint involving criminal infringements of the law is being investigated.
Take action on your behalf in the civil law courts.
Recommend traders.
Disclose opinions or details of complaints about traders.
Pay for independent evidence you may need to pursue or claim, where there is no evidence of a criminal offence.
Pursue a complaint which is unjustified or not in the public interest.

What can the Trading Standards Enforcement Section do?

The Enforcement Section can investigate complaints where there has been a breach of criminal legislation. This may lead to trader advice or warnings to prevent further breaches and, where appropriate, may lead to prosecution action.

Here is a list of some of the main areas covered:

Sale of unsafe products both new and secondhand, eg toys, gas/electrical appliances, furniture, nursery goods, cosmetics and unroadworthy cars.
Credit transactions, advertisements, settlement rebates, credit reference agencies, debt collectors and unlicensed credit dealers.
Hallmarking of gold, silver and platinum.
Misdescriptions applied by traders selling property.
Misdescribed holidays.
False statements and misdescriptions applied to goods (eg, counterfeit goods, clocked cars) and services, eg false claims relating to membership of trade associations.
Charging more for goods and services than indicated.
Short weight or measure, eg food, petrol, beer, at less than the quantity declared.
Sale of food past its 'use-by' date and misdescribed food.
Watered down alcoholic drinks.
Overloaded vehicles.

In return for our service we ask you:

To be completely honest with us and give us all the facts relevant to your case.
To listen to our advice and to our reasons for recommending a particular course of action.
To accept we may not always be able to find a solution if no laws have been broken.
To understand that we have other cases to deal with, but that your complaint will be dealt with as quickly as possible.
To be patient and courteous to our staff, even though you may be angry or upset. We are trying to help you.

If you are dissatisfied with our service you may complain using our corporate complaint system (please ask for details).