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The
Local Trader
Code
of Practice is an accepted industry standard. It is
a mark of credibility and competence and indicates
a respectable reputation. Members must sign the
code of practice and agree to abide by it.
Full
details of the Code are outlined below:
Local
Trader Code of Practice
Each
member shall comply with this Code and any other
Guidance issued by Local
Trader
from time to time.
1)
All transactions
a.
Each member shall conduct its business lawfully,
comply with all relevant legislation and judicial
decisions applicable to the nation in which they
conduct their business and trade fair and
responsibly.
b.
Each member must display their privacy policy
prominently and must make available a link to their
published trading terms and conditions and these
must clearly state if any product/service provision
guarantees have been put in place, and what they
are, as well as their full returns policy.
c.
Each member must publish its privacy policy on a
web page named privacy. For example: privacy.html,
privacy.php or privacy.asp etc. A link to the
privacy page must be prominently displayed at any
point on the site where a member collects user
data.
d.
Each member shall act reasonably and with integrity
in the day-to-day conduct of his/her
business.
For
example:
i.
Provide adequate training for staff members,
bringing to their attention the principles of
this Code and requiring them to carry out their
duties in accordance with it. Also, ensure
continuous and appropriate training of staff in
respect of current legislation and best practice
as applicable within their industry.
ii. Follow where appropriate any requests
conveyed to a member by Local Trader from any
enforcement authority.
iii. Follow where appropriate any guidance notes
issued by Local Trader.
iv. Notify Local Trader of any matters which
might adversely affect the reputation of the
industry or of Local Trader.
e.
Each member shall:
i.
Comply with all relevant government legislation
revisions, updates and amendments. For
example:
*
Administration of Justice
* Consumer Credit (and regulations
thereunder)
* Sex Discrimination
* Disability Discrimination
* Race Relations
* Data Protection
* Consumer Protection
* Criminal Justice
* Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts
Regulations
* Trade Names and Copyrights
* Companies and Sole Trader Acts
* Human Rights
* Mental Health
This
list is not exhaustive.
ii.
Use plain English in all communications, and
also Afrikaans if you are trading in South
Africa or Namibia unless you make it clear on
your website that you only support the English
language.
iii. All correspondence must show the full
business address, telephone number and email
address, where used.
iv. In all contacts by staff or agents, ensure
that the member's identity is clearly
disclosed.
v. All members have a duty to ensure that their
agents, subcontractors and subsidiaries comply
with the Local Trader's Code and Guidelines.
vi. Comply with all reasonable requests by
consumers, clients, or their appointed
representatives for information concerning their
purchases, agreements and accounts.
vii. All members shall ensure that the Local
Trader's Code is available on their own
websites, or that they publish a "Compliance"
text link from their site which points to this
page.
2)
Confidentiality
Members
must keep in strict confidence any information
supplied by consumers or others, except where
disclosure is authorised by the consumer or others
or permitted or required by law.
3)
Complaints
a.
Each member shall have in place adequate processes
to deal with consumer or client complaints, this
must contain the following minimum
procedure:
i.
The management level at which complaints are
handled.
ii. The time frame in which complaints are
handled.
iii. The remedy, if the complainant is not
satisfied.
iv. Complainants must be advised that one of the
remedies is referral of the complaint to Local
Trader where appropriate.
b.
Members shall deal with complaints speedily,
responsively, in a user-friendly fashion and at an
appropriate management level.
c.
Members' complaints procedures must be made
available to the complainant or his/her advisor on
request.
d.
If a complaint is made to Local
Trader
in
relation to dealing with a member of Local Trader,
we will deal with the complaint in accordance with
the published complaints procedure.
6)
Local Trader
a.
Local Trader
shall
monitor the compliance of members with the Code and
may each year publish a report of the number and
types of complaints received.
b.
Any instance of non-compliance shall be drawn to
the attention of the member concerned. In the event
of continued non-compliance, or a serious breach,
the Local Trader Disciplinary Committee will take
such action as it deems appropriate, including a
warning or recommendation of expulsion of the
member concerned from membership.
c.
Membership of Local Trader entitles the member to
display an approved trade association symbol
thereby indicating their adherence to this Code of
Practice.
d.
The approved trade association symbol is based on a
star rating between one and five stars. Adverse
star ratings are due to a level of complaints
received about a member and/or a level of general
non compliance of this code.
e.
Each member must inform Local Trader of all trading
names in use in relation to the website for which
membership was assigned.
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