Consumerline commended by customers

Consumerline is a hit with Northern Ireland’s consumers, with 96% of those surveyed, saying they would recommend the advice service.

An independent survey, conducted by MORI Ireland, interviewed 800 consumers to measure customer satisfaction with the consumer advice service, operated by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s Trading Standards Service.

The survey found that of the callers that responded:

• 89% were satisfied with the service provided;
• 95% were likely to use the service again;
• 96% would recommend Consumerline to other consumers;
• 96% found the advisors to be helpful;
• 90% were satisfied that the advisors had the knowledge and ability to answer their query;
• 81% found the advice and information provided by the advisors to be helpful in resolving their problem.

Consumerline not only provides sound advice to consumers but also follow-up action by the Trading Standards Service can result in financial benefits for consumers.

In one case the wrong miles on a car’s hire purchase agreement, lead to a £7,000 refund for the consumer. A £6,000 refund was made to a consumer who had bought a caravan that was misdescribed and another consumer received £3,640 because the trader had asked the consumer to sign a document, which purported to deprive him of all of his statutory rights.

Head of Trading Standards Service David Livingstone said: “There is a need for consumer advice in Northern Ireland and the report indicates that the numbers of consumers seeking advice through the helpline and the consumerline.org website is growing.

“There are, however, areas for improvement. The majority of our callers are aged between 25 and 54 years old and we are keen to attract younger and older callers. We will also be looking at encouraging those from other ethnic backgrounds to contact us with their consumer problems.”

Consumerline, which began operating in November 2003, handled 20,076 calls to advisors in 2004/2005.

(SP)