Welcome to the Devon & Somerset Trading Standards Joint Service E-zine

And hello to all our new subscribers! In May, an agreement was signed by Devon and Somerset County Councils to create a joint Trading Standards Service covering both counties. Since the merger we have been hard at work aligning our systems and policies to create a resilient and cost effective service.

The joint service has been flying the flag for consumer protection, with three significant cases going to trial in September.

We have also, as always, been working with qualifying businesses who are keen to offer the highest level of consumer satisfaction through our Buy With Confidence Scheme.

In this issue there is advice for residents on Christmas shopping and your rights when things go wrong, as well as the most common Christmas scams to look out for. We have also included details of our ongoing project to protect young people from sales of alcohol.

Finally, please take this opportunity to have your say about the future work of Devon & Somerset Trading Standards by completing our online consultation.

We wish all our readers a merry festive season and a safe and prosperous New Year!

Don’t get scammed this Christmas

Devon & Somerset Trading Standards receive numerous reports of rogue traders attempting to scam residents and businesses. Because these scammers often operate from outside the UK and under false identities, it can be very difficult to target and bring them to justice.

Read on to learn about the top five scams which have tried to claim victims in Devon and Somerset during the last six months

Help us set our priorities

We’re aiming to build an accurate picture of the issues that have affected Devon and Somerset residents and businesses over the last year. Please help us by completing this short survey to let us know what you think our priorities should be

Mum, Dad, my present’s broken! There are several pieces of consumer protection legislation which can help you if one of your Christmas presents turns into a disaster.

To find out what you can do about faulty presents, what your rights are and how to enforce them, read our Christmas Present Buying Guide

Protecting Exeter’s Young People from Alcohol One of our key aims is to prevent the harm that can be caused by alcohol being supplied to under age people. As well as damaging their health, communities often suffer the linked side effects of anti social behaviour.

One way we’re helping to combat under age sales, is by supporting retailers to have the confidence to check customers’ ID effectively