About TrustMark

TrustMark is a Government-endorsed sign of consumer protection for home improvements, repairs, renewable energy installations and low energy retrofits that are designed to make your home more comfortable and cheaper to run.

TrustMark is attained by a reputable business after it can prove to a certifying body (i.e. Certification schemes or Trade Associations) that it has all the right competences and consumer protections in place.

TrustMark’s requirements relate to all the business’s work and all its employees, as it is the business which is TrustMark registered, not just the work.

This Customer Charter sets out the rights and responsibilities of any customer receiving advice, installations, products, services or other work carried out by any business which carries the Government-endorsed TrustMark quality mark.

Customers include householders, landlords and tenants. Businesses include a wide range of home repair, maintenance and improvement firms, installers and renewable energy related trade and professional services. You can find a full list of TrustMark businesses here: www.trustmark.org.uk

You can have confidence a TrustMark business will:

Do what it says it will do

• Comply with this Customer Charter, and work to the operational requirements set out in the Code of Conduct (business behaviours) and the Codes of Practice (technical standards) relevant to the works completed
• Provide accurate performance claims for any home heating, insulation, energy saving or energy generation installations, and then supply products and services that perform as promised
• Carry out a proper testing and hand-over process so you know about how things work and how they must be maintained
• Follow processes correctly, turn up for appointments and work the hours they say they will

Act in a responsible and professional manner

• Be responsive, approachable and treat you fairly and with respect
• Communicate clearly and in good time so you always know what is happening, for example if they are running late for an appointment or if anything changes
• Be mindful of vulnerable customers
• Respect the sanctity of your home and agree any access requirements with you
• Keep their work area safe, with minimum of disruption, ensuring that it is tidy at the close of the day
• Protect your personal information in compliance with data protection regulations
• Try to understand your circumstances so, where you receive advice, that advice is suitable and takes account of your needs
• Supply you with goods and services in line with your usual consumer rights

Give you the right information, at the right time, being clear and transparent

• Tell you openly who they are and what they do, and the same for every sub-contractor or third party acting on their behalf
• Follow fair marketing practices, including no misleading advertising
• Observe ‘no cold calling’ zones and stickers, avoid high pressure selling techniques, and instruct any third party working on their behalf to do the same
• Explain to you the benefits of the TrustMark scheme and signpost you to the Information Hub
• Provide you with clear, accurate and understandable information about products and services
• Inform you about whether you need any other legal or technical consents for the work being planned
• Tell you what will happen next, and by when, and keep you updated of progress before, during and after the point of sale

Protect you with clear contracts

• Provide you with a clear and detailed, itemised written quotation, and terms and conditions that you understand
• Signpost you to independent advice before you sign a contract
• Explain your cancellation rights – where appropriate
• Provide fair pricing and contracts with no hidden costs or penalties

Do its best to resolve any concerns or complaints

• Provide a free initial complaints process and ensure there are no barriers for you to be able to contact them with queries, requests, concerns or complaints
• Take responsibility for any issues where they may be at fault and look to resolve them with minimum disruption
• Signpost you to their Alternative Dispute Resolution service, and the TrustMark complaints process
• Use your feedback to improve how they do things

You also have responsibilities, and we ask that you:

• Check the business you wish to work with is TrustMark registered for the relevant trade(s)
• Provide the necessary access to your property and make it clear if there are any special requirements that might affect the work – e.g. about parking, toilet facilities, pets, children, neighbours, materials storage, home security, boundaries, party-wall agreements etc
• Make sure you have the correct Building Regulations, planning and environmental permissions in place for the work on your home
• Make sure that you have a signed contract before the works start. It should cover:
  • the correct Building Regulations, planning and environmental permissions
  • delegation of the Health & Safety (CDM) responsibilities
  • recording variations to the contract
• Take independent advice where necessary and make use of the resources on the Information Hub to help guide your decisions
• Arrange a conversation with the TrustMark business as quickly as possible if you have any concerns, so that they can be discussed and resolved at an early stage
• Be on time for any appointments too, and treat the business’s staff, tradespeople and sub-contractors with respect
• Pay on time and according to the terms of the contract you agreed
• If you do have a complaint, follow the TrustMark process outlined on https://www.trustmark.org.uk/consumers/if-things-go-wrong