Are We Being Served? Policies on Accessing Goods and Services

3.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 8th Sep 2009

The Liberal Democrats have launched a paper on consumer confidence. It is about ensuring that all of us are able to buy the goods and obtain the services we need easily, efficiently and on fair terms.

A series of proposals that will radically change the relationship between customers and companies has been unveiled by the Liberal Democrats today.

The proposals include introducing a 'Universal Service Code' for organisations providing a service to the public. This will commit them to:

Make one of the first options in their telephone response system be to speak to a human being

Make their customer service phone number free to call from both mobiles and landlines

Train staff to deal quickly and effectively with customer enquiries

Make and keep appointments for visits, installations and phone calls within a one hour timeframe

The proposals also include:

A duty for energy companies to publish information on all available tariffs on their bills

The immediate clearing of bank payments and transfers

A requirement for restaurants and cafes to make their tipping policies clear to customers

A beefed up consumer watchdog to name and shame companies involved in bad practice

Measures to prevent supermarkets building up local monopolies