1. Home
  2. Trading standards
  3. Business advice
  4. Trading Standards Business Advice Service
  5. Terms and conditions for chargeable advice services

Terms and conditions for chargeable advice services

  1. The Business Support Scheme (‘the Scheme’) is managed and administered by East Sussex Trading Standards Service, which is part of East Sussex County Council. These terms and conditions apply to the provision of advice by East Sussex Trading Standards Service under the Scheme. By requesting advice from East Sussex Trading Standards Service you agree to be bound by and to comply with these terms and conditions.
  2. In these terms and conditions the expression “we” is a reference to East Sussex Trading Standards Service and the expressions “you” or “your” is a reference to the person or organisation requesting business advice (the Customer).
  3. Subject to the overriding provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, all information provided by you as part of the Scheme will be treated sensitively and kept securely.
  4. East Sussex Trading Standards Service undertakes to ensure that only adequately trained officers provide advice, that the advice will be impartial and that all reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that it is correct at the time at which it is given.
  5. Upon receipt of your request for advice, we will allocate it to an officer who will become the point of contact for your enquiry. The officer will endeavour to respond as soon as possible, but in any event within three (3) working days of your initial enquiry. The officer will then advise you of the expected timescale for providing the requested advice.
  6. East Sussex Trading Standards Service is a law enforcement department which is empowered to enforce a variety of civil and criminal statutes. We have a duty to investigate any allegation of a breach of such legislation and the provision of advice under the Scheme does not affect this duty in any way.
  7. Where advice is provided under the ‘Primary Authority’* mechanism then it may have binding influence on Trading Standards Services nationally. Your named contact officer will be able to fully explain what this means for your business if it is applicable to you.
  8. In seeking to obtain business advice from East Sussex Trading Standards Service, you undertake to provide details of your business; including trading name(s), legal name, postal addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses and the nature of the business, as well as contact details for the person requesting the advice. Advice cannot be given until this information has been received.
  9. In applying for business advice you agree to pay charges for officer time incurred by East Sussex Trading Standards. There is a minimum charge for advice given in response to each enquiry. You will be advised of the charge before any advice is given.
  10. Payment is accepted by Credit or Debit Card only, in advance of any advice being given. We regret that we are unable to accept cash or cheques for services provided.
  11. The provision of advice under the Scheme does not entitle your business to use any logo of or claim any affiliation with East Sussex Trading Standards or East Sussex County Council.
  12. If you are not satisfied with the quality or timeliness of the information provided to you, we ask that you please contact us at the earliest opportunity so that your designated officer or his / her Team Manager can attempt to resolve the issue. If this is not possible or desirable then you will have recourse to East Sussex County Council’s official complaints procedure. See Customer feedback.
  13. If you do not have access to the internet please do not hesitate to contact us on 0345 6080197 or write to us at East Sussex County Council Trading Standards, County Hall, St Anne's Crescent, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1UE.

*A Primary Authority for the purposes of s.23A of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008.

Was this page helpful?

Click or tap the rating which best represents your experience.