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Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct for Dealing with Vulnerable Customers

The Companies’ policy is to take extra care in its trading activity when dealing with vulnerable customers. The following procedure must be adhered to at all times.

Who is a vulnerable customer?

All customers must be 18 years of age or over. A vulnerable customer is a customer who is over 18 but who is, or maybe, unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation. This may be because they have a mental health problem, a disability, visual or hearing problems, or are old and frail, or have some form of illness.

  1.  You must withdraw from an appointment if a customer appears to be vulnerable e.g. frightened or confused. You must then immediately report details to your line manager in order that an entry can be recorded on the Company Systems.
  2. There are many conditions that could define a Person as Vulnerable. This can include but is not restricted to someone who is; ill or infirm, elderly, mentally instable, blind or partially sighted, deaf, under stress from personal circumstances including divorce or bereavement, or who appears frightened and/or confused
  3. If in any doubt you must ask the customer if there is anyone that the customer usually takes advice from, with regard to maintaining their home or with regards to items of expenditure. If there is then you should ensure that this person is present when you visit the customer.
  4. In some cases it may be necessary to draw the customer’s attention to defects within their home. Our policy is that you should not explain these issues to any customer in a manner that would cause them anxiety or distress. You should be especially mindful of this in respect of elderly/vulnerable customers
  5. If a customer decides to use our services you must be satisfied that they fully understand the scope of the work to be done and the price payable.
  6. You must be satisfied that they can afford the charges without suffering financial hardship
  7. Ensure that no customer is put under pressure that will make them feel obliged to buy. You should be especially mindful of this when dealing with vulnerable customers.
  8. You should always ensure that the customer understands the conditions of their contract, their rights of cancellation and the terms of the guarantee.
  9. If the customer wishes to proceed you should ensure that they do not want to contact anyone else first, before signing an order
  10. Only once all of these conditions are met can you accept a contract for work.
  11. Contracts taken from all customers who may fall into this category must be verified by a manager, over the phone, prior to the representative leaving the customer’s house. It must be remembered that elderly customers can appear very lucid and interested initially but can quickly become confused or distressed. An order must never be taken if there is even the slightest doubt of the customer’s full understanding of the contract and the cost involved.

The Company reserves the right to withdraw from a contract at any time if it feels inappropriate to proceed with work due to the vulnerability of the customer.

This procedure must be adhered to at all times in our dealing with customers.

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