Reaching a Resolution

Quality assurance is at the heart of everything TrustMark does. All our Registered Businesses sign up to our Customer Charter which demonstrates their commitment to customer service and high levels of technical standards.

Our rigorous dispute resolution process is there to ensure both consumers and Registered Businesses are able to resolve situations effectively however sometimes that is not always possible. By being a member of the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman, we will be able to offer our Registered Businesses and their customers an impartial and flexible way of reaching a resolution when all our processes have been exhausted.

Customer Charter

The Dispute Resolution Process

The steps below outline the process for you to follow if you have a dispute with a TrustMark Registered Business. Each step must be completed in the order shown and no step should be skipped.

 


Gather your Evidence and
Raise your Concerns.
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If you’re unhappy with your chosen TrustMark Registered Business, gather your evidence and raise your concerns with the business and make a note of the date.

Make Contact
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Talk to the business and discuss your concerns. Set out the details of your dispute and your expectations of how they can put it right. Allow the business a reasonable amount of time to respond. Keep a record of any communications and agreements made with the business.

Aim for Resolution
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If you are unable to reach a satisfactory resolution with the business, you will need escalate the dispute to the business’s Scheme Provider. If you are unsure who the Scheme Provider is, please refer to the TrustMark website and look under “Find a Tradesperson” for the business you are unhappy with. Under the details of the business, you will see the Scheme Provider they are registered with. If there is more than one Scheme Provider, please check the trades covered under each to ensure you contact the right one.

Resolution Plan
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The Scheme Provider will review the details of your dispute and liaise with you and the business to try and help you find a satisfactory resolution.

Mediation/ADR
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If no resolution is reached, many of our Scheme Providers have an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider who they may use to help resolve your dispute.

Dispute Resolution Ombudsman
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You can escalate your dispute to the Dispute Resolution Ombudsman (DRO) when all steps above have been exhausted (with the exception of step 5, if the scheme does not have an ADR provider) and the below criteria has been met:

1. You have addressed your dispute with the TrustMark Registered Business.

2. You have escalated the dispute to the business’s Scheme Provider.

3. You have received a final response from the TrustMark Registered Business or Scheme Provider and/or 12 weeks have elapsed since you have made your initial complaint.

4. You have not accepted a formal ADR decision as a full and final settlement (if applicable).

5. The dispute is made within 12 months of receipt of a final response.

If you approach the DRO without escalating your dispute to the Scheme Provider, the DRO will direct you to TrustMark and TrustMark will advise the Scheme Provider that they have an additional 30 days to investigate the dispute.

Further information on the DRO and how they can help you can be found here.

 


Under the TrustMark Framework Operating Requirements, Scheme Providers are responsible for the conduct of their members and must do their best to help resolve disputes between businesses and their customers. If the dispute is complex, the Scheme Provider may suggest using an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider to help resolve the matter.

At TrustMark we understand that dealing with disputes can be stressful and our priority is to help consumers achieve fair, timely and cost-effective solutions. Our role is not to investigate specific consumer complaints, but we work closely with our Scheme Providers, and they with their Registered Businesses, to ensure that the correct processes and procedures within the TrustMark scheme have been followed.

However, if you have a concern which relates directly to, or about TrustMark, we would like to hear from you.

 


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DRO Guide for Consumers

The Dispute Resolution Ombudsman has created a guide for consumers.
The Ombudsman can look into a complaint about:

- The work you have had carried out by a business/tradesperson
- Installation of goods or the workmanship
- The service you have received
- Contractual disputes

Download the Guide