This January, as consumers struggle with the cost of paying for Christmas 2010, the OFT launched the Save Xmas campaign for the fourth consecutive year encouraging consumers to begin saving for Christmas 2011.
This activity developed following the collapse of the Farepak hamper scheme in 2006 where many households lost their Christmas savings. It encourages consumers to:
The OFT website has plenty of materials to help money advice workers explain savings options, including lesson plans and a DVD. Find out more on our Save Xmas campaign page.
Scams Awareness Month will run from 1 February to 28 February 2011.
The aim of the campaign is to increase awareness and understanding of scams to reduce the number of scam victims. Scams Awareness Month will consist of three themes: Scamnesty, holiday clubs and ticket scams.
Building on the success of the previous three Scamnesty campaigns, we will raise awareness of the scale of the problem again with a nationwide Scamnesty campaign run in partnership with local authority Trading Standards Services. The campaign calls on consumers to drop scam mailings they have received into designated Scamnesty bins or boxes at local libraries and public areas across the country.
Scamnesty will run throughout the month. However, we will also use the third and fourth weeks of Scams Awareness Month to focus on two specific themes - bogus holiday clubs and ticket scams.
To sign up to Scamnesty or if you have any queries, please email scamnesty2011@oft.gsi.gov.uk.
Further information about the campaign can be found on our Scams page.
Would you like to know what consumer education projects are going on in your area? Are you wondering if anyone else has run a project like the one you're planning? Would you be happy to share your resources with others? Looking for educational resources on a particular consumer topic?
The consumer education project database was developed by the OFT in partnership with Consumer education liaison group (CELG). It is an opportunity to share details of local projects, identify contacts for those running similar projects to yours around the UK and upload details of your work.
You can find out more or give your comments on the database by emailing: consumereducationdatabase@oft.gsi.gov.uk.
Simple, concise training materials available for retail businesses.
Working with businesses and trade associations, the OFT developed the SOGA hub to help sales staff understand their legal obligations and improve customer service. The hub is a free online resource for retailers and includes a simple at-a-glance guide to the law, detailed explanations, practical examples, training materials and a quiz. Find out more at www.oft.gov.uk/saleofgoodsact
Following the hub's launch in September 2010, initial feedback was very positive with users impressed with the easy to use, easy to understand nature of the hub.
Some suggested amends, additions and updates to the site which we have included in this recent update include:
The OFT is undertaking consultation with business and support organisations on DSRs.
Distance trading, in particular online, is becoming an increasingly popular way to buy and sell goods. As more customers switch to these purchase methods, and more companies develop distance selling capacity, compliance with the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 (DSRs) becomes ever more important to minimise potential consumer detriment in these markets.
The recent OFT Drivers of Consumer Compliance report (2010) indicated that around nine per cent of business respondents considered themselves to be very familiar with the DSRs.
Building on this research and findings from the SOGA hub consultation, we will work with a range of distance selling retailers, Trading Standards and relevant trade associations and business support organisations to gather insights into the most effective way to provide information on how to comply with the DSRs.
We are currently undertaking the consultation phase of the DSRs project. If you have any feedback you would like included, please email angharad.davies@oft.gsi.gov.uk.
OFT has published a report on how Skilled to go is being used in practice.
It outlines the findings of the first stage of a two-stage research project, led by the OFT Statistics team in March 2010, in order to make future improvements and maximise usage of the toolkit.
363 Skilled to go users, mainly teachers of adult or secondary education, responded to an online questionnaire providing insight into which materials are being used, the teaching setting they are being used in and the level of learner they are being used with. The full report can be accessed from our Research Reports page.
Stage two of the research, including interviews and focus groups, is currently underway and a second report is due to be published in April 2011.
To ensure that Skilled to go resources are as accessible and widely-used as possible, both modules of the TSS toolkit have been made available in the Welsh language.
Skilled to go for TSS was expanded to include a new module on Scams in November 2010, building upon existing content based on Buying and selling. The toolkit now contains even more games, quizzes and role plays for use by staff who deliver sessions with schools and community groups. These, and all Skilled to go resources, can be downloaded from our Skilled to Go section.
From 31 March 2011, OFT's consumer information will be available on Directgov and the Consumer Direct website will close. Any consumers who visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk will be automatically re-directed to Directgov. If you are producing any materials and would like the new consumer url, please contact Judy Holden (judy.holden@oft.gsi.gov.uk). Consumer Direct's telephone service will continue as normal.
Back to: Campaigns update newsletter
This feature requires Javascript and Cookies to be enabled on your browser
Register for email alerts or amend your existing account details here.