Consumer codes: 2015 review consulation
This is a consultation document setting out our proposals to update the codes used by the Citizens Advice consumer service.
Please provide any responses to this consultation by 12 June 2015 using the 2015 Codes Review Consultation Questionnaire 
The consumer service takes a million calls a year and deals with consumers’ issues, problems and complaints. These are coded in order to run reports and analyse consumer trends and detriment, share with stakeholders, develop policy, challenge bad practice and enforce regulation.However, the economic landscape is changing. Both the goods and services bought and sold and the methods by which consumers purchase them has changed dramatically over the past ten years and continues to evolve.
The consumer codes have remained unchanged for the past decade. They are falling out of date with the current consumer landscape and are proving to be less useful to stakeholders, regulators and Trading Standards bodies.
BIS have asked and funded Citizens Advice to review the consumer codes, and recommend an appropriate set of codes that better reflects the consumer landscape. We have undertaken a comprehensive review of the codes and made recommendations for significant changes. We have also recommended some structural changes.
We welcome feedback on our recommendations and are particularly keen to hear the views of representatives of consumer protection organisations such as trading standards bodies and regulators.
This is a consultation document setting out our proposals to update the codes used by the Citizens Advice consumer service.