Consumer Direct was a

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

-funded

call centre A call centre ( Commonwealth spelling) or call center ( American spelling; see spelling differences) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephon ...

providing basic consumer advice in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Information was also provided on their website (see below). Following a review by government in 2010, Consumer Direct ceased to operate in March 2012 with its role being handed to the Citizens Advice consumer service. The new service operates using the same telephone number and provides the same level of advice as Consumer Direct did. Consumer Direct's intention was to make such basic advice available to everyone regardless of the area in which they live. Previously, provision of consumer advice services varied, with some local Councils operating extensive services with several staff; and others relying on other local advice services such as the

Citizens Advice Bureau Citizens AdviceCitizens Advice is the operating name of The National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux which is the umbrella charity for a wider network of local advice centres. The abbreviation CitA is sometimes used to refer to this nation ...

. The service operated via a standardised national telephone number (currently 0808 223 1133) and by e-mail. Simpler complaints were dealt with directly; more complex matters that may require direct intervention or indicate some criminality were passed on to the relevant organisation (usually the relevant local

Trading Standards Trading Standards are the local authority departments with the United Kingdom, formerly known as ''Weights and Measures'', that enforce consumer protection legislation. Sometimes, the Trading Standards enforcement functions of a local authority a ...

office) as a referral. The website also provided a number of advice sheets. Trading Standards offices were notified of all complaints relating to a trader based in their area. It was expected that this would assist in identifying problem traders more quickly. Data was transmitted on a secure network using a standardised xml format which assists automated uploading of the information into local databases and eventually into the proposed eTSN (electronic Trading Standards Network). The eTSN never progressed.

Abolition

Consumer Direct closed on 31 March 2012 with its functions being passed to Citizens Advice. The Citizens Advice consumer service provides email and phone advice as well as self-help material through its website.

References

Consumer Direct websiteTechnical documentationConsumer Direct helpline to be run by Citizens AdvicePublic bodies review: consumer bodies
Programmes of the Government of the United Kingdom {{UK-org-stub