Ross Webster Tree Services is now a Which? Trusted Trader. The badge is not a subscription and it is not a review average. It means Which? sent a Trading Standards qualified assessor through the business, checked its finances and its paperwork, and spoke to its own customers before endorsing it.
Here is what the assessment involves, stage by stage, so you know what the logo stands for and what it does not.
What the Which? Trusted Trader scheme is
Which? Trusted Traders is an endorsement scheme run by Which?, the consumer organisation. It recognises reputable local traders and gives consumers a way to pick one that has been checked independently, instead of guessing from a website.
Two things separate it from a review site. Reviews on a Trusted Trader profile are verified and moderated by Which?, not published straight from an account. And every endorsed business works to the Which? Code of Conduct, which carries real weight: a substantial breach can get a business suspended or removed from the scheme.
Stage one: eligibility checks
Before a business gets anywhere near an assessment, Which? checks it is eligible. It confirms the business has been trading for at least six months and has no county court judgements (CCJs). A business that fails those checks does not move on to the assessment.
Stage two: financial health and credit checks
If the eligibility checks pass, the business sends in its documents and Which? carries out a financial health and credit check. The logic is simple enough: an endorsement that ignored whether a business was financially sound would not be worth much.
Stage three: the assessment, or business MOT
The assessment is carried out by one of Which? Trusted Traders’ Trading Standards qualified assessors. Which? describes it as a thorough business MOT, and three areas get examined.
- Business procedures
- A thorough examination of the business and administrative procedures: how the work is quoted, scheduled, recorded and finished off.
- DBS checks
- Which? carries out DBS checks so that no endorsed business has a criminal background behind it.
- Customer satisfaction
- The endorsement team contacts a number of the trader’s own customers to check the references and confirm the experience matches what the business claims.
For tree work, the procedures that get examined are the ones a customer rarely sees: how a quote is written and what it includes, how the job is planned around access and property, what happens to the waste, and how a complaint is handled when something goes wrong. A documented procedure for each is what an assessment is looking for.
Stage four: actions, then endorsement
An assessment does not usually end with a straight pass on the day. The business comes away with actions to complete, and the endorsement team supports it through them. Complete those actions within the timescales Which? sets and the business is endorsed and listed on the searchable Trusted Trader directory.
That is the point at which the logo can be used. Ross Webster Tree Services went through this process and is now endorsed. The services, contact details and review record Which? holds are on the Ross Webster Tree Services profile.
What happens after the badge
Endorsement is not a certificate that goes in a drawer. An endorsed business has to keep complying with the Which? Code of Conduct. If Which? is made aware of a substantial breach, the business can be suspended or removed from the scheme altogether.
Reviews work differently too. Which? contacts customers to verify a review before it is published, and the in-house team moderates it first. That is why a profile reads differently from an open review site.
If a job goes wrong and cannot be settled between customer and business, both sides can use Which? alternative dispute resolution. It is an independent, impartial third party that looks at the evidence from both sides and works towards a resolution.
What the badge does not cover
Endorsement does not replace the checks worth making on any contractor, and it does not make a quote a good quote. Ask for the insurance certificate. Ask which certificates the people doing the climbing hold. Read the written scope: what is included, what is excluded, what happens to the arisings, and whether the stump is part of the price.
Why tree surgeons quote different prices for the same tree covers that comparison in detail. For commercial sites, the seven checks before tree work starts is the site manager’s version.
Asking a tree surgeon about accreditation
When you are comparing contractors, ask the question directly: which certifications do you hold, what insurance do you carry, and are you a Which? Trusted Trader? An endorsed business should be findable on the directory without an argument, and the profile should name the services it is endorsed for.
If you want to talk through tree work in North Yorkshire or County Durham, get in touch.
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