Back in December 2016, I successfully applied to become a Which? Trusted Trader and have been proud to be endorsed by the scheme since then. I thought I would write this blog for any customers who were unaware of the scheme to explain how it works.
Which? Have been testing products on behalf of consumers for nearly 60 years now and have a reputation for being thorough, fair and trustworthy. When I heard that they were also testing tradesmen and tradeswomen, I knew that this was the brand I wanted to be endorsed by. I did consider applying to be endorsed by some of the other “trade check” companies but I didn’t feel that any of them would give customers the same peace of mind that the Which? brand would. Although I do have to admit that some of the other companies do have some very catchy radio jingles!
To become a Which? Trusted Trader, you have to undertake a rigorous assessment procedure. Background checks are completed on the business before you meet with a trading standards professional. From this meeting, a list of pre-endorsement and post-endorsement compulsory action points are drawn up and the business must adhere to these action points in order to become endorsed and remain endorsed by Which?. Although, any type of assessment can be daunting, the fact that I was meeting with a trading standards professional reassured me that any advice given was relevant and necessary.
After the meeting, a random sample of previous customers are contacted and are asked to review the business. Although I was confident of my customer reviews, I was still relieved to hear that I had passed the assessment and that Errington Locksmiths and Security would be part of the scheme.
Far too often, the reputation of a trade is tarnished by “cowboys” carrying out inadequate work for sky high fees. Unfortunately this is as true for locksmiths as it is for any other trade. I hope that the Which? logo and my profile page on the Which? Trusted Traders website helps to reassure my customers and any potential customers that they have found a tradesperson they can trust.
Which? Have been testing products on behalf of consumers for nearly 60 years now and have a reputation for being thorough, fair and trustworthy. When I heard that they were also testing tradesmen and tradeswomen, I knew that this was the brand I wanted to be endorsed by. I did consider applying to be endorsed by some of the other “trade check” companies but I didn’t feel that any of them would give customers the same peace of mind that the Which? brand would. Although I do have to admit that some of the other companies do have some very catchy radio jingles!
To become a Which? Trusted Trader, you have to undertake a rigorous assessment procedure. Background checks are completed on the business before you meet with a trading standards professional. From this meeting, a list of pre-endorsement and post-endorsement compulsory action points are drawn up and the business must adhere to these action points in order to become endorsed and remain endorsed by Which?. Although, any type of assessment can be daunting, the fact that I was meeting with a trading standards professional reassured me that any advice given was relevant and necessary.
After the meeting, a random sample of previous customers are contacted and are asked to review the business. Although I was confident of my customer reviews, I was still relieved to hear that I had passed the assessment and that Errington Locksmiths and Security would be part of the scheme.
Far too often, the reputation of a trade is tarnished by “cowboys” carrying out inadequate work for sky high fees. Unfortunately this is as true for locksmiths as it is for any other trade. I hope that the Which? logo and my profile page on the Which? Trusted Traders website helps to reassure my customers and any potential customers that they have found a tradesperson they can trust.
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