Camden Trading Standards team advises businesses on and enforces many laws to help businesses ensure fair trading in Camden. This includes the following::
- licences and permits issued by Trading Standards such as auction premises, fireworks/explosives, e.g garage air bags
- energy performance certificates
- poison storage
- underage sales such as cigarettes, knives and alcohol
- fake or counterfeit goods
- weights and measures
- rogue traders
- loan sharks
- scams
- safety of products
Please see our enforcement policy for more information.
If you have a problem with goods or services, Citizens Advice are there to help you. You can report a problem with goods or service by following the link below.
Report a problem to Trading Standards
The Citizens Advice website provides advice to resolve problems and disagreements about goods or services including:
- overcharging
- faulty goods
- bad workmanship
- dishonest traders and scams
- under age sales - this includes the sale of alcohol, cigarettes, knives, fireworks, solvents, video recordings and spray paint
Cold calling
No Cold Calling Zones are areas where callers selling goods or services are not welcome. They aim to decrease doorstep crime. Signs and stickers are placed on lampposts and doors or windows of homes in the zone.
The following streets in Camden are No Cold Calling Zones:
- Southampton Road
- Quadrant Grove
- Maldon Place
- Grafton Terrace
- Thurlow Terrace
- Herbert Street
Setting up a No Cold Calling Zones
Zones may be set up:
- in response to crime
- local crime intelligence
- on request and following a consultation with residents
Zones should meet three criteria before they can be set up:
- A history of doorstep crime or distraction burglary
- A vulnerable population
- A defined geographical area
Rogue traders and bogus callers
Read our 10 tips for staying safe at home (PDF).
This includes information on:
- protecting yourself from rogue traders
- bogus callers
- keeping personal information personal
Scams
Friends Against Scams aims to protect and prevent people from becoming victims of scams. Visit the Friends Against Scams website to find out more.
You can complete an awareness session to learn about:
- different types of scams
- how to spot scams
- where to report scams
- how to support victims of scams
Consumer advice
Camden residents who need consumer advice should contact the Citizens Advice consumer service, a government funded service. Citizens Advice provides free, confidential and impartial advice on consumer issues, including:
- queries about pricing
- problems and disagreements with suppliers of goods or services you have purchased
- knowing your rights as consumers
- finding out how to avoid scams and report them
- finding a reputable trader
How to contact Citizens' Advice
Telephone Adviceline: 0808 278 7835 (free from mobiles and landlines)
Monday–Friday 10am–4pm
Textphone number: 18001 03454 04 05 06
Camden Trading Standards works in partnership with Citizens' Advice consumer service. Complaints reported to the Citizens Advice consumer service are logged on a national database which we use to identify complaint trends and problem traders in our area.
Doorstep seller warning
Camden residents are being warned about door-to-door fish salesmen who are visiting residents and trying to persuade them to buy fish on their doorstep.
Residents are presented with fish that is largely unlabelled, not as described and some of it unfit to eat. This type of scam involving door to door fish sales is a national problem. We advise that the best place to buy fish is from a reputable fishmonger, or at an established shop or stall.
Anyone who has been approached by fish sellers in this manner should contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on Adviceline: 0808 278 7835.