Advice to consumers

Our advice leaflets cover a wide range of issues and explain what your rights are, so if you have a problem with goods, a problem with cars or a problem with services, please check out our advice. If you are in dispute with a business, please click on this link.

CONSUMER ADVICE SERVICE.

We will provide the best quality advice service possible to benefit the communities we serve by making the most effective use of resources available.

Our service is available free of charge, to anyone who lives/works within RCT County Borough.

We have three advice centres that are open five days a week from Monday – Friday. You will find our addresses and contact details at the bottom of this page.

We will:

Provide pre-shopping advice
Provide free and impartial advice to consumers and traders on any problem associated with trading standards
Assess all enquiries for possible criminal offences and refer to the most appropriate enforcement section of the Trading Standards Service.
Give practical help to consumers who have been unable to settle a dispute with a trader.
Give practical help and support to consumers on how to use the Small Claims Court/other methods of alternative dispute resolution.
Provide home visits to consumers with special needs and respond to requests from ethnic minorities with understanding and professionalism.

Our staff will:

See you within 10 minutes of your arrival at an advice centre.
Identify themselves to consumers.
Respond to your telephone enquiry immediately or call you back within one working day.
Answer your letter or email within one working day and give you a detailed reply within five working days.
Deal with your complaints as quickly and as fairly and sensitively as possible.
Give you a progress report on your civil complaint, every two weeks until it is concluded.

What we require from you.

when you contact us, have all your paperwork with you, which is relevant to the issue you are enquiring about
keep all original documents and items in a safe place in case they are need in future
if you write to us, please give us your daytime phone number, if you have one
if you reply to our letters, please use our reference number
please let us know about any developments in your case

Our Projects & Initiatives

We will provide a service which fulfils the corporate goals for making communities safer, improving our living space, health and well-being, boosting the local economy and learning for growth.

We will promote consumer education amongst younger people in schools, and for those with special needs through the Young Consumer of the Year Competition and other initiatives.

We will actively support the Older People Strategy in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

We will further business links in the community through developing partnerships and self-regulatory initiatives. Such initiatives include the Fair Trade Charters we have for the motor and building trade. Both Charters are the first in Wales to receive Office of Fair Trading Accreditation and a list of garages and builders who are members can be found below under related documents.

Further Information

UK European Consumer Centre
Is part of the European Consumer Centre Network (EEC-Net), which consists of 29 centres through Europe, including Iceland and Norway. The aim of the Network is to provide information on your consumer rights in Europe and assist in cross-border disputes.

Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO)
Provides full text of Acts of Parliament from 1988, plus access to Inforoute, the Government's Information Asset Register.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Defra works for the essentials of life - water, food, air, land, people, animals and plants

Trading Standards Central
A one stop shop for consumer protection information in the UK. Provides information for businesses and consumers.

HM Customs and Excise
Provides information and advice for the public and for businesses.

Office of Fair Trading (OFT)
The OFT is designed with two purposes: to protect consumers and explain their rights; and to ensure that businesses compete and operate fairly.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

Working with businesses, employees and consumers to drive up UK productivity and competitiveness to deliver prosperity for all.

Food Standards Agency
An independent food safety watchdog set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food.

Contact information

Consumer Direct Wales

Consumer Direct works in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services by providing first level advice and information on a wide range of consumer problems. Only complaints requiring further investigation or assistance are referred to Trading Standards or other advice services.

You can contact Consumer Direct via telephone on 08454 04 05 06 (English) or 08454 04 05 05 (Welsh).

For further information regarding any consumer issues contact your local Consumer Advice Service as below:

Pontypridd Office
Consumer Advice Centre
10 Church Street
Pontypridd.
CF37 2TH

Telephone: 01443 484469
Fax: 01443 484479

Email: consumeradvice@rhondda-cynon-taff.gov.uk

Aberdare Office
Consumer Advice
One 4 All
Rock Grounds,
Aberdare.
CF44 7AE

Telephone: 01685 878888
Fax: 01685 885235

Treorchy Office
Consumer Advice
One 4 All
Station Road
Treorchy.
CF42 6NN

Telephone: 01443 778959
Fax: 01443 778960

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Content authorised by: Consumer Advice
Last revised on: 13/5/2010