Introduction

Devon County Council’s Trading Standards Service, as part of an overall objective to establish the highest standards of trade in Devon, has introduced the CustomerFirst Scheme (The Scheme). The Scheme is intended to demonstrate the commitment of your business to dealing fairly and honestly with your customers and the commitment of the Trading Standards Service to supporting business.

The Scheme is concerned with the customer service procedures of a particular business; it does not directly address wider issues such as the overall quality of the goods or services provided nor the financial standing of the business.  Whilst it may take into account activities which fall within the remit of other regulatory agencies it does not in any way audit or assure these activities.

The Scheme is regionally co-ordinated and therefore, for the purpose of considering applications and monitoring membership, the Trading Standards Service reserves the right to share information on individual members and the Scheme as a whole with other Agencies

We are currently in a period of great change for the CustomerFirst Scheme. Existing members will recognise that these Terms and Conditions are a development from the old Code of Practice, much information is repeated but some requirements and benefits are new.  

The Terms and Conditions listed below were introduced on 5th December 2006. They have been re-drawn to facilitate:

• the merger of CustomerFirst with the Buy With Confidence scheme which operates throughout the South East of England, and
• the development of CustomerFirst to be the first local authority scheme to be supported nationally by the Trading Standards Service and the Office of Fair Trading .

It is anticipated that new members to the CustomerFirst Scheme will be complying with all requirements including payment of a membership fee and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks for those engaged in work on domestic premises, by April 2007.

For existing members, however, there will be a more gradual phasing in of the new Terms and Conditions. We will of course be keeping everyone informed about developments as and when they occur.  

In the meantime, if you have any queries concerning the Terms and Conditions then please contact us:

1. if you are an existing CustomerFirst member via your dedicated on-line enquiry form ,
2. for all non-member enquiries   

Terms and Conditions

- Administrative Procedures (153KB - pdf help)

- Code of Practice (156KB - pdf help)

- Customer Complaint Procedure (145KB - pdf help)

- Mediation (134KB - pdf help)

- Disciplinary and Appeals (156KB - pdf help)

- Members Benefits (122KB - pdf help)

- Logo Use (161KB - pdf help)