Are Trading Standards fit for purpose?

marleneb1

I, and hundreds, if not thousands of people have ordered plants from The Secret Gardening Club. These are offered at a discounted price and, if you purchase their Goodwill Pass, you get an enhanced discount. So far so good.
Then lots and lots of people, me included, don't receive the plants
 Some people receive part consignment with no explanation whilst many receive a box of dead plants.
The company don't answer communications  there is no phone number to contact them and they've turned off messaging on their Facebook page.
Trustpilot is heaving with negative reviews.
I contacted Trading Standards who weren't interested. I  have managed to get my money back via PayPal but I really don't think this company should be allowed to continue trading  and they are still advertising plants for sale.
Any thoughts?

Ergates

What, exactly, is it that you think Trading Standards were responsible for doing that they haven't done?

marleneb1

Investigate reports about companies who operate by selling goods they either can't supply or which are substandard. 

Thrugelmir

Took me two minutes to find them .

https://www.yorkshirelavender.com/

Aylesbury_Duck

Any thoughts?  Yes - your post hits the wrong target.  Trading Standards, like a lot of statutory services local council have to provide, are an underfunded, under-resourced organisation that doesn't have the capacity to deal with the volume of consumer trading, nor the increasing complexity of transactions people make.  I suspect you are one of the majority of people who don't want to see their taxes rising, and haven't really considered how services like Trading Standards are funded until you need to call on them.  When you say they "weren't interested", what exactly happened?

TELLIT01

What exactly did Trading Standards say when you contacted them?

Tahlullah.H

Can't usually get to Trading Standards, you have to go through Consumer Direct and they refer the case to TS, who then decide if they will take the case on because it has a wider implication for society, not just the individual.  Did you actually get through to TS?

Manxman_in_exile

I worked as a trainee trading standards inspector for a while in the 1980s.

The words "useful", "teapot" and "chocolate" come to mind...

Andy_L

Manxman_in_exile said:

I worked as a trainee trading standards inspector for a while in the 1980s.

The words "useful", "teapot" and "chocolate" come to mind...

Don't be harsh on yourself...that's our job 

TELLIT01

I had friends who worked for Trading Standards about 10 years ago.  2 of the 3 were made redundant, from a team of 8 or 9 people.  Reduce staffing by 25% and something has to give.