Trading Standards

Beat the Credit Crunch - Advice for Business

Business Advice

  • Coins
    • More information for businesses on the Econonic Downturn

    If you have ideas on how best to cope with the current downturn, we want to hear from you! E-mail us your tips to tsadvice@hants.gov.uk and we will post the best ideas on our site.

     

 

Cutting Costs

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Revue your energy use and investigate a cheaper energy supplier (same applies to telephones).
Why not earn cashback on your purchases of business supplies?
Can you find cheaper accommodation?  
Make sure all equipment is switched off (not on standby) when you are closed.  
Operating sustainably could save you money.
Cut waste in all areas.
Accurate Supplies
If you order supplies by quantity, check  your deliveries. If you suspect you’ve been sold short weight or measure, contact Trading Standards who can verify it free of charge.

 

Competition

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Increase Your Competitive Edge

Look after your customers. Consumers tell us that the things that most annoy them about businesses are:

  • Failing to turn up at the time agreed
  • Not being called back when promised
  • Not being given and explanation of why a problem happened
  • Not being allowed to speak to someone in authority
  • Not being told how long a problem will take to solve
  • Being treated like a number not a person
  • Not being kept informed of progress with their problem.
In surveys, 68% of customers who didn’t come back gave the reason as indifference from employees.

Make sure your staff don’t treat your customers like this!

Don't be tempted to skimp on training and developing staff.

Make a Virtue of the Crunch

If your business helps people save money, market this aspect of what you do (e.g. a shoe repairer offering an inexpensive alternative to costly new shoes) 		 
 

Know your Legal Rights

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Avoid getting your legal obligations wrong. Here are the top five things businesses who come to us for Buy With Confidence membership get wrong:
  1. Unfair terms in their contracts
  2. Failing to identify who owns the business (on premises or a website)
  3. Not providing cancellation rights
  4. Making false or misleading claims about the goods or services on offer
  5. Lack of awareness of their civil law obligations.
You don’t always have to provide a refund when customers return goods. Customers bringing goods back because they’re an unwanted gift or the wrong size or colour, are not entitled to a refund. You can always agree to a refund out of goodwill, but this is not a legal requirement. You can also refuse a refund if the customer cannot produce proof of purchase.
If you are looking to recruit new staff or set up a pension scheme there is lots of free advice available.
 

Buy With Confidence

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Consider joining Hampshire County Council’s Buy With Confidence approved trader scheme. Independent approval of your business by Trading Standards could improve your image and give you a competitive edge.

 

Debt

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Late Payments

If you are having problems with customers not paying you, consider requiring staged payments in future, rather than invoicing for an entire job on completion. 		 

Bad Debts

If the amount you are owed by a debtor is up to £5,000 you can use the Small Claims Court and the even cheaper option of Mediation.
 

Beware Scams

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Be very wary of scams, such as approaches to put your firm in a business directory or invoices for goods you never ordered.  Seek advice from Trading Standards first.