Trading Standards enforce a wide range of legislation to protect consumers.
If you think a business has acted unfairly or broken the law, you can report them to Trading Standards. This could be because the business:
- sold you something which wasn't as described
- added extra costs onto the price of something, or weren't clear about a price
- stopped you using your legal rights, such as not letting you return an item which is faulty
How to make a report
To report a business to Trading Standards, you need to contact the Citizens Advice consumer service. You can chat to an adviser online or call them on 0808 223 1133.
You can find out more about making a report to Trading Standards on the Citizens Advice website.
What happens next
Where needed, Citizens Advice will refer cases with criminal implications to the local Trading Standards service. Please note, we won't take all referrals on to a full investigation. We'll assess any criminal matters referred to us, and prioritise those cases with the highest risk to public safety.
Guidance for businesses
You can find guidance for the sale of goods and services on GOV.UK, including for product labelling and distance selling.
Pricing in stores
Shops must clearly display the total selling price of an item in writing. Prices should be:
- clearly displayed
- easy to read
- close to the product they're for
- the same as what the customer is charged at the till
You can find out more about how prices should be displayed in stores on GOV.UK.
Plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers
We can take action against businesses that don't comply with the restrictions in place for the supply of:
- plastic straws
- plastic-stemmed cotton buds
- plastic drink stirrers
The supply of these is covered by the Environmental Protection (plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers) Regulations 2020.
Read more about the regulations for plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers, including the actions we can take.
Retailers of vapes and e-cigarettes
You can find guidance for businesses that manufacture, import or sell vapes and associated products on the Business Companion website.