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All Registrants of EEESafe are required to adopt this Code of Practice as the minimum standard when offering service for domestic electrical appliances and consumer electronic products in the United Kingdom.

The Principal Aims of EEESafe Registrants

  • To offer service wherever possible within three working days
  • To be able to supply spare parts within an acceptable period of time
  • To resolve customer complaints.
  • Where possible, safely and legally, ensure items or recycled spares are used locally to assist further repair.
  • To ensure homes are protected by the National Appliance Safety Register.
  • To prevent waste electrical appliance and spares.
  • To procure customer ratings of their work using the EEESafe Rating standard.

Index

  1. Function
  2. Communication with the customer
  3. Customer Responsibilities
  4. Repair Costs
  5. Guarantees
  6. Safety
  7. Competence
  8. The EEESAFE Procedure for Customer Complaints
  9. Arbitration

1. FUNCTION

It is the responsibility of the service organisation to ensure that a prompt and efficient service is carried out.

2. COMMUNICATION WITH THE CUSTOMER

The service organisation should be adequately staffed to receive and handle all requests from customers, for service and information. Written communications should be answered quickly. Complaints should be investigated and be resolved as quickly as possible and the customer advised of the action being taken.

Customers that are dissatisfied with the treatment of their complaint should be advised to seek the opinion of either:

  • Their Local Trading Standards office
  • Citizens advice bureau
  • The EEESafe Service for mediation

3. CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Customers should ensure that the product has been installed by a competent person, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. (EEESafe DAT or DAR is a Competent Persons Scheme)
  • Customers use the product only for the purpose intended.
  • When requesting service customers should provide full details of the appliance, including proof of purchase or extended warranty, where appropriate.
  • Customers should where possible, ensure that the original manufacturers parts are part of the unit.
  • Customers who have received repairs or whole appliances from non Registered EEESafe sources, should be aware of the increased risk of accidents or malfunctions through the use of non standard or incorrectly fitted parts.

4. REPAIR COSTS

  • Customers should be advised of the cost of the repair before commencement of the repair.
  • On completion of the repair, if requested by the customer a detailed invoice should be provided giving brief details of the work carried out. Labour charges, cost of materials and Vat should be itemised.
  • Should the product be taken into workshops for repair the customer should be advised of the cost of the repair, prior to commencement of that repair. After further examination, if it is found that the estimated cost of the repair is likely to be exceeded, the customer should be advised immediately, and acceptance of the extra charge sought before work proceeds.
  • If a promised completion date cannot be honoured the customer should be advised immediately
  • In accordance with Government Policies for Waste prevention for positive impact on climate change, where the use of recycled components or cosmetics are used, the customer must always be informed and if this affects any warranty in place by a 3rd party or the Manufacturers if this is in date.

5. GUARANTEES

All repairs carried out will be guaranteed for up to 12 months at the discretion of the repairer. This will depend upon the nature of the repair and the condition of the appliance. Guarantees shall not detract from the legal right of the customer.

6. SAFETY

On completion of each service call, or work in a service workshop, testing of the Domestic appliance will be carried out to ensure the appliance is safe. A record of safety readings should be kept on invoices or workshop records or submitted to the EEESafe online repair reporting service.

7. COMPETENCE

All service staff and those handling complaints should receive full and regular training.

Adequate training must be available for service engineers and manufacturers courses should be used where and when appropriate.

8. THE EEESAFE PROCEDURE FOR CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS

EEESAFE believes that the majority of repairs carried out by its Registrants are performed expeditiously and satisfactorily. Those few repairs which result in the customer being dissatisfied are usually quickly rectified by the service organisation itself. (EEESafe are not liable for their work)

EEESafe is prepared to intervene in complaints by customers which concern the repair services offered by its Registrants. The procedure is as follows:

The code of practice for the service of White Goods Appliances sets out the minimum standards to be achieved by EEESAFE Registrants’ service organisations in order to ensure an efficient and effective service to the customer.All Registrants of EEESAFE are required to adopt this code of practice when offering service or refurbishment of White Goods Appliances in the United Kingdom.

The EEESAFE code of practice is published and made generally available so that all sectors of the domestic appliance manufacturing, distribution and servicing industries together with consumer organisations arbitration authorities and the public know what standards that EEESafe expects of its Registrants.

 

EEESafe will assist customers, Trading standards offices, Consumer advice Centres, Citizen Advice bureaus and any other similarly recognised bodies with serious complaints against its Registrants.

Where fires are recorded and thought to be attributed to White Goods Appliances, EEESafe will co-operate with the Fire Services and Investigators where it is in the public interest to do so, and under conditions of the Data Protection Act.

9. Complaints and Appeals

  1. An appeal or complaint must be sent to co********@ee*****.com or to the Registered Office within a period of 7 days of occurrence and must contain evidenced reasons for the appeal.
  2. Consumer Complaints about Registrants should be dealt with the Registered EEESafe DAT, DAR or Centre.  EEESafe is prepared to assist, but reminds consumers that there is sufficient consumer law in place to deal with any incident caused as a result of a Registrants work. (Note: EEESafe is not liable for Registrants work)
  3. Appeals or Complaints from Registrants will also have a response within 7 days of receipt and will be reviewed by the CEO.
  4. If the Appeal is resolved to mutual satisfaction, in the case of a Registrant they will be immediately reinstated and normal rules will apply as if the Registrant had not been revoked. However, a record will remain on file of the incident.
  5. If an Appeal is unsuccessful then a final Appeal to our Arbitration process can be lodged, with supplied evidence within a further 7 day period of notice of an unsuccessful Appeal.
  6. This will be reviewed within a 14 day period by Graham Dixon, internationally renowned Consultant and author of the Haynes Manuals for Repair of Appliances.  Details of this organisation can be found at www.dixontraining.co.uk

It should be noted that EEESafe acknowledges and supports both of the Trade Associations Codes of Practice (DASA & WTA) and  wishes to ensure that EEESafe’s code of practice seeks to mirror both of those existing trade associations whilst embodying our own aims and ambitions in relation to supporting all aspects of the trade and their end users.

Any additional information can be supplied and are available by emailing us at co********@ee*****.com