Press releases
18 October 2006
Ealing is the Consumer Advice Capital for London
It may be a little known fact, but Ealing is the home of consumer advice for the whole of Greater London.
From its office based on the High Street above the Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre, Consumer Direct London, the government’s online and telephone consumer advice service, serves the residents of all 33 London authorities.
Thirty specially trained advisers deal with an average of 800 cases per day, offering callers information on their consumer rights, and clear, practical advice on how to resolve disputes and gain redress when things go wrong.
Since the Association of London Government (ALG) launched Consumer Direct London in June 2005, the service has received 200,000 calls on a variety of consumer issues. Consumer Direct delivers first tier advice, allowing trading standards to focus on more difficult cases.
Amanda Elliott, Centre Manager for Consumer Direct London said: 'The success of Consumer Direct London over this first year has been down to a close working relationship with the local authorities in the capital, among them Ealing Trading Standards, based just around the corner from the Consumer Direct contact centre.'
During 2005, the top three most complained about goods and services in the London were:
- Home maintenance and improvements
- Telecommunications
- Furniture
Consumer Direct is available on 08454 040506 or online at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.
