What is trustedtrader.scot

trustedtrader.scot is home to a number of local Trading Standards Trusted Trader schemes across Scotland. Each local scheme is a joint Council and Trading Standards initiative, supported by Police Scotland, to provide a list of local and reputable vetted businesses .

Each scheme is locally branded and targeted at the local areas, such as trustedtrader.scot/Aberdeen, trustedtrader.scot/Edinburgh, trustedtrader.scot/Fife etc.

All schemes conform to a standard Code of Conduct, and all applicants must pass a strict Trading Standards vetting process before being accepted on the scheme. All members are then monitored and in the event an issue does occur, there is a Trading Standards complaints process, which is backed up by a scheme funded external Alternate Dispute Resolution service.

What was the origin of Trusted Trader

Trusted Trader was originally launched by Dundee City Council Trading Standards in 2005. Its simple aim was to encourage local businesses to sign up to a code of practice that will give consumers confidence in the standard of service they expect to receive. The success of the scheme in Dundee has now seen it become adopted across many different local authorities.

What is the difference between trustedtrader.scot and approvedtrader.scot?

The majority of Trading Standards Trusted Trader schemes in Scotland sit on the trustedtrader.scot platform. But there are a couple of Trusted Trader schemes hosted independently, along with a number of local authority trader schemes that follow a slightly different format, but are still run by their local Trading Standards Team.

So it was decided to combine all the data from all the schemes on to one searchable website, approvedtrader.scot, to make as easy as possible for consumers. Businesses can’t join approvedtrader.scot, instead they are signposted to their local Trading Standards scheme, and once vetted, their details will automatically be displayed on approvedtrader.scot.

So trustedtrader.scot and approvedtrader.scot work in parallel, rather than duplicating. Any trader searches on approvedtrader.scot will always direct the consumer to their local scheme.

Why use a .scot?

The .scot extension makes perfect sense as this is a Scotland wide initiative and reduces confusion from similar sounding schemes across England and Wales.

Our vision for the future of trustedtrader.scot

We want to make sure all consumers across Scotland have access to reliable and vetted businesses, as well as encourage and promote small businesses across the country.