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Dear Tony

I was concerned to read the letter from Pete Smith (7/5/13) who expressed scepticism about our recent advice and warning to consumers about uninvited tradesmen on doorsteps and his reference to TrustMark as a ‘faceless’ body.

I fully appreciate that Pete Smith has built a great business over the years, much of which has been a result of knocking on people’s doors, but sadly we live in such times that there are many rogue tradesmen out there who are not as honest or reputable. It is our responsibility, as a Government-backed quality mark for tradesmen, to have the task of working towards the elimination of cowboy firms.

Not all doorstep sellers are bogus but homeowners need to be wary of people dropping in on them and offering special deals or telling them that their property is unsafe and needs urgent work. While it is not illegal to canvas for work door to door, rogue doorstep trading, both invited and uninvited, remains a serious issue for vulnerable groups, particularly the elderly who live alone, and they need to be aware of their consumer rights.

TrustMark work closely with the Trading Standards, Citizens Advice, Office of Fair Trading and AGE UK and together we are tackling cold calling and empowering vulnerable residents to deal with untoward doorstep sellers.

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This Week's News

Government unveils office conversion detail

The Department for Communities and Local Government has confirmed details of its plans to make it easier to convert commercial buildings for alternative use.

As expected, London boroughs including the City of London, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Westminster, Newham, and Kensington and Chelsea, will be restricted from converting commercial buildings into homes.

Restricted borough councils outside of London include; Vale of the White Horse, Stevenage, Ashford (Kent), the district councils of Sevenoaks and East Hampshire, and Manchester City Council.

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Promac service goes Live

The Promac Group is delighted to announce the launch of a brand new service support package which allows its customers to receive diagnostic assistance from a dedicated Promac engineer in real time via video link, thereby reducing time, cost and the need for an unnecessary call out.

Promac Live Service is just one of the new initiatives implemented as part of the leading machinery provider’s drive to meet and surpass customer expectation as it recognises the challenges presented by today’s market.


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Bowater Doors boosts capacity through Minworth move

Bowater Doors has relocated its manufacturing facility from Coventry to a new 66,800 sq ft. factory in Minworth, Sutton Coldfield, in a move that increases capacity and enables the company to meet increased demand for its expanding range of residential, fire and flood defence composite doors. Sales over the last year have been exceptionally strong and the company has recruited extra production staff to meet the needs of its expanding customer base.

“The move is a significant investment that has provided the space to install a new manufacturing layout to improve flow and bring us closer to technical and marketing support so we can provide better service and support for customers,” said John Park-Davies, National Sales Manager for Bowater Doors.
 
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Pam n Fern enjoyed having people round

Saint-Gobain Glass have declared the FIT Show a success after being able to meet hundreds of installers and fabricators in Telford.

One of the busiest stands at the show, visitors flocked to “Pam’s place”, a towering yet beautifully crafted area, to meet the ladies along with members of the Planitherm Network team. But whilst Pam n Fern were excellent hosts it was clear that the powerful Planitherm advertising and marketing campaign, together with the benefits of the Planitherm Installer Network, were the real draw.

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Angel’s on TV

Mighton Products will be running a TV campaign in June across a number of satellite and terrestrial channels to promote their patented Angel Ventlock™ child safety device, which has proven to be the safest, most secure and egress compliant restrictor available for vertical sliding sash windows.

The TV campaign will incorporate 30, 40 and 60 second TV commercials on SkySports 2 and 3, ESPN and ITV Carlton to raise the awareness of their product and the implications on child safety when it comes to windows.The advertising campaign features a young child playing near an upstairs window, with her mother distracted and the potential for the girl to fall out of the window.

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Study suggests unemployment figures unlikely to improve in 2013

 The right attitude to work and a strong set of basic skills remain at the top of employers’ wish lists when it comes to hiring new recruits, a new study has shown.

The Forum of Private Business’s latest member survey on employment and skills revealed that 63% of employers rate a positive attitude to work as the key requirement, with around half noting the importance of basic skills.

But the survey, which polled Forum members about the likelihood of them recruiting in the near future, also suggested many small businesses are waiting for employment costs to come down and profit margins to go up before they take on more staff. Almost one in three (29%) described the former as ‘crucial’ before they would recruit, and 25% for the latter.

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Green Deal could stall without SME support

Small building companies need fairer access to the Green Deal (GD) market if the shortage of installers is to be addressed, warns the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to the latest statistics from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Almost 19,000 GD assessments were carried out as of the end of April 2013, yet there are only 942 GD installer companies approved to carry out this work – nowhere near enough to deliver energy-efficiency improvements to Britain’s 26 million existing homes by 2050.

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New Expansion for Exeter Glass

As Exeter Glass Centre continues to grow, it only seems fitting that their premises and showroom sees a grand make-over. Nearly 8 years ago Exeter Glass Centre opened its doors, breaking further into South-West’s glass and glazing industry. Since then, with Cornwall Glass & Glazing Ltd continually expanding throughout the South-West, Exeter has become at the heart of the group.

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New trade counter launched

Hardware distributor Window Ware welcomed customers and brand partners recently to the opening of its redesigned trade counter, including the new click and collect service, at its 36,000 sq ft distribution centre and offices in Bedford.

Customers were greeted with a newly-segmented offer based on the “We’ve got it” principle of the company’s new logo – ‘Install It’, ‘Lock It’, ‘Furnish It’ and so on.

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Double Celebrations mark
30th Anniversary

Windowmaker Software’s 60 employees around the world recently celebrated with simultaneous parties to mark the 30th anniversary of the company. In an on-line video address to all employees , Goronwy Jones, founder and Managing Director of Windowmaker, added some amusing anecdotes about the early days of software development using punched cards ,with additional contributions from some of the other longer-serving employees.

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Wrightstyle warns against fire inspection cuts

One of Europe’s steel glazing companies is warning that budget cuts for fire safety audits in UK public buildings should be reversed. Wrightstyle, based in Devizes and which supplies internationally, was responding to official figures that found that the highest number of unsatisfactory fire safety audits against particular premises were care homes (28%), followed by hotels (21%) and hospitals (17%) – buildings that, housing the elderly or infirm, should have the highest levels of protection.
 

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