Young Consumers

My name is Samantha Hoad and I work as a Trading Standards Business Advisor for Leicestershire County Council. My core objective is to provide free, friendly, expert advice to businesses to make it easier for them to understand and comply with trading laws.

My day starts at 8.30am. My first job is to call back any businesses that might have contacted us the previous day. A request has come in from a business owner, who is importing and selling toys and is asking about the safety legislation that applies and what his responsibilities are. I will visit the owner to establish a working relationship and see if I am able to assist with other legislative areas they might need help with.

The post arrives and any business requests for advice are inputted into our database, we have a three day response time. There is one from a business that needs advice on food labelling. This goes to a specialist food officer in Trading Standards for detailed advice.

I receive a call from an estate agent who has asked me to check their internal documents and procedures to assess compliance with money laundering regulations. I ask the manager to email the documents to me for consideration.

I have arranged for another adviser to cover the Business Advice lines, as I have an appointment at 11am at the home of an internet trader. He needs help to comply with the distance selling regulations and to revise his terms and conditions to make them fair and balanced.

I’m now heading back to the office for lunch and then it’s back to my desk dealing with more advice requests.

During a gap in calls I’m working on a letter to a large company about tightening up their systems regarding cosmetic products safety legislation. This company is based in Leicestershire but trades nationally and we take on the responsibility of advising the business on trading standards laws and co-ordinating queries from other trading standards authorities.

I receive a call from a business owner who wants to know more about the recent changes in trading standards legislation. The trader has specifically asked for written guidance on the new Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and I have sent her some written guidance and a booklet to get her started.

The lines close at 4.30pm but we stay open until 5pm for any personal visitors needing advice. It’s quiet today, so it’s a good opportunity to write a letter to a new small business that called yesterday requesting advice about the permitted lead and nickel content in children’s jewellery. Along with this letter I have sent out our Trading Standards advice pack with an array of practical information for new businesses.

As you can see, the variety, both in terms of the areas of law that I deal with and the breadth of businesses that I advise, makes the job interesting and challenging.

To find out more about careers in Trading Standards, visit the T S Institute site about Jobs in Trading Standards