Consumer and Trading Standards - our service standards

We settle disputes between consumers and businesses about consumer law, civil and criminal legal issues. We give advice and information, and may investigate the dispute, contact third parties on your behalf, recommend remedial action or take enforcement action if appropriate. We hope to resolve disputes fairly, reasonably, quickly and informally. However, the services we provide are subject to other legal and council guidelines. 

Some disputes involve complex legal issues. We always try to set out our views and decisions clearly, without using jargon, but sometimes we have to use legal words and phrases.

There are some things that we can't guarantee, for example, getting an automatic refund or compensation, stopping businesses from trading, closing them down or recommending businesses (unless they are in our approved trader scheme, Buy with Confidence).

Our contact with you

In our contact with you, we aim to be polite and professional, and we expect the same from you in return.

We will keep you informed of progress and about what you need to do next. You will always know the name of the person handling your case, and you can contact them directly with any questions.

We can provide information in formats such as Braille, large print and audiotape, and in other languages on request. If you want to call, we can arrange for an interpreter. Let us know if you have other accessibility needs.

If you have a complaint about the service we have provided, tell the person dealing with your enquiry. They will advise their manager, who will decide the best course of action. If you are still not satisfied, please call or write to Consumer and Trading Standards.

How we will deal with your complaint

We aim to send you a response in writing within 20 working days. If we can't do this because of exceptional circumstances, we will let you know what is happening and when you can expect a full response from us. If your complaint is justified, we will tell you how we will sort out the problem. Where relevant, we will also tell you how we plan to make sure the mistake does not happen again.

If you're still not happy, you can raise your complaint with the Head of Service or the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.