Noticeboard For National Consumer Week which looked at subscriptions under the theme Not what you signed up for? CTSI produced two animated guides for consumers, businesses and financial institutions to advise them on subscription issues Karis Allibon, admin assistant at the UK European Consumer Centre, working on consumer statistics UK ECC call centre celebrates 10-year anniversary The UK European Consumer Centre (UK ECC) celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. Over the course of the past decade, it has played a vital role in empowering consumers, helping them to gain a better awareness of their rights and take full advantage of the internal market. Its strength is in numbers: the UK ECC is part of the European Consumer Centre Network (ECC-Net), which consists of 30 centres covering Europe, plus Iceland and Norway. It is a practical manifestation of the single market for consumers. The UK ECCs service is free and it usually gets involved when consumers have exhausted efforts to resolve a dispute directly with an EU trader. Its intervention may take the form of giving information and advice on an aspect of consumer law, issuing a leaflet, or referring consumers to another specialised organisation. Often, the UK ECC gets more closely involved for example, by offering tailored advice to help the consumer resolve their complaint. When a large number of consumers require further help, it can involve its ECC-Net counterparts, who then contact the EU trader on behalf of UK consumers. Andy Allen, UK ECC service director, said: Our aim is to help as many UK consumers to achieve as positive result as possible be that a refund, replacement, repair, or cancellation of their contract. The main areas in which we operate include online shopping, internet auctions, holidays, timeshare and holiday clubs, and air travel. The UK ECC is co-funded by the European Commission and the UKs Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and is delivered by CTSI. gOt aN OpINION? We want to hear it. Email tstoday@ tsi.org.uk to add your voice to the discussion. We reserve the right to edit letters. Wales Golf Society new member tees off as she means to go on The Trading Standards Wales Golf Society welcomed new member Edwina Greenwood, from Warrington Trading Standards, during its autumn meeting only for her to go on and win the Frank Smith Cup with a brilliant round of golf! Knowing just how successful Edwina has been in her golfing exploits of late, we may never see the trophy grace the mantelpiece of a Welsh home for the foreseeable future, said Simon Wilkinson, who is regulatory and frontline services policy officer for the Welsh Local Government Association, and organiser for the golf society. The meeting was held on 6 October, at Neath Golf Club, where an enjoyable round of golf was followed by drinks, a bite to eat, and a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues. The members meet twice a year, in spring and autumn, and the next meeting will be at Cradoc golf club, in Brecon, on 14 May. New and past members are always welcome please get in touch with Simon. ABOVE: Trading Standards Wales Golf Society members (from left): Steve Hay, Viv Price, Danny Thomas, John Richmond, Simon Wilkinson, Edwina Greenwood, Jon Davies, Chris Roe, Dave Beaumont, Ken Long Safer in seconds This winter, many of the UKs leading domestic appliance manufacturers who support the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (AMDEA) Register My Appliance safety campaign will again be rewarding customers who register their fridges, freezers or washing machines, by entering them into free prize draws for a range of luxury prizes. Customers who take a few minutes to register their old and new appliances will improve their home safety and increase their chances of winning prizes. This year, registering can now be done via a smartphone. The Register My Appliance prize competition season launched in November and will run until the end of January. It includes Register MyAppliance Day, on 16 January, which offers more opportunities towin prizes, and sends a message to people in the UK that they can protect themselves and their homes by registering their electrical goods. These incentives are promoted by manufacturers and publicised by a broad range of organisations, including Citizens Advice, the fire service and local councils. They have helped to raise public awareness that registration of new and older appliances is critical to manufacturers being able to act quickly in case of a recall. Douglas Herbison, AMDEA chief executive, said: Our statistics for the first quarter of this year show that more than 35 per cent of purchasers chose to register their new washing machines, dryers and dishwashers, which is practically double the figure for 2015. Our challenge is to persuade people to register the 93 million* large white goods they already have in their homes. Once they realise no purchase is necessary and that they can win a prize by simply registering their older appliances as well as understanding the safety message we hope people will reach for their smartphones. *BEIS, Market Transformation Programme, ECUK 2016 First law firm approved as ADR body Nockolds Solicitors, which delivers Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes to the optical and veterinary sectors, has attained approved ADR status from CTSI. It is the first law firm to be named an approved ADR scheme provider. CTSI granted Nockolds approval as a consumer ADR body on 1 November 2017. Its ADR schemes include the Optical Consumer Complaints Service, funded by the General Optical Council, and the Veterinary Client Mediation Service, funded by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Free for consumers and registrants, the schemes offer an impartial mediation service for complaints and disputes. Jennie Jones, head of Nockolds Resolution, said: Were very proud to be the first law firm approved by CTSI as a consumer ADR body. Our schemes protect the interests of the public while maintaining trust and confidence in optical and veterinary professionals. Were now looking forward to replicating their success across other sectors. CTSI announces Conference winner Congratulations to Martin Fisher, from Cornwall Councils fair trading team, who has won a 25 shopping voucher after completing the feedback survey at CTSI Conference in June. CTSI thanks everyone who took part your feedback is valuable in helping it to continue to develop products and events for the trading standards profession.