Posted by noel shelley on 11/01/2023 10:35:39:
Reporting poor work is from my experience is a waste of time ! I reported a gas registered CORGI fellow for poor and dangerous work – CORGI were not remotely interested . When I asked if spot checks were done on members work I was told NO ! Noel.
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Ever tried to sue an incompetent solicitor? Most trade bodies exist to protect their members. They rarely discipline members unless many complaints are received, which – tip coming – should be very clearly identified as COMPLAINTS in the title or whatever. Governments regulators require complaints to be counted and reported, but only if the complainer explicitly says it's complaint. Many commercial firms do the same. A 20 page rant doesn't count unless the word complaint is used, and even then there's a chance it's only added to the statistics!
Action is only taken if enough complaints are received. Individuals are rarely considered important. Reporting crime to the police is the same; don't expect the Flying Squad if someone keys your car! Home Office figures show most crimes aren't investigated. Instead the police simply issue a crime number allowing an insurance claim can be made.
Spot checks would make a world of difference, but the regulators are underfunded and trade bodies disinclined. For example, although the Information Commissioner requires firms to protect computer stored personal data, they don't set standards, or check what, if anything, has actually been done. They impose big fines after a major incident exposes security failures, but that does customers no good at all.
CORGI and similar pick up the bill if a member causes a major incident, but they don't chase small offences.
Is the arrangement hopeless? Whilst self-regulation is clearly flawed, my feeling is it works better than paying hoards of inspectors to check everything. In practice, most jobs are done safely and effectively, and it's not worth bogging the whole economy down just to keep a minority happy. Every so often it turns out the system has failed on a large scale. Then there's a scandal, normally dealt with by slowly organising an enquiry, that eventually makes recommendations, that are ignored 5 years later because Joe Public can be relied on to have forgotten all about it.
Dave