About Us
Advice for individuals on energy and post is given by Citizens Advice Consumer Service (08454 04 05 06).
Consumer Focus is the statutory consumer champion for England, Wales, Scotland and (for postal consumers) Northern Ireland. We were formed by The Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress (CEAR) Act 2007.
We operate across the whole of the economy, persuading businesses, public services and policy makers to put consumers at the heart of what they do.
Consumer Focus tackles the issues that matter to consumers, and aims to give people a stronger voice. We don’t just draw attention to problems – we work with consumers and with a range of organisations to champion creative solutions that make a difference to consumers’ lives.
Consumer Focus has strong legislative powers. These include the right to investigate any consumer complaint if they are of wider interest, the right to open up information from providers, the power to conduct research and the ability to make an official super-complaint about failing services.
We receive funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and from licenses paid by energy suppliers and the postal industry. We are also able to raise our own funds – for example, through externally funded projects.
Changes to the future of consumer representation across the UK
New proposals to make the Citizens Advice service a champion for consumer information across a range of sectors and a new National Trading Standards Board were announced on 11 April 2012 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Consumers need to know who to go to when they have a problem which is why Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland will take on responsibilities and resources from the Office for Fair Trading (OFT) and Consumer Focus. The process has already started, and a new advice line succeeding Consumer Direct was launched by the Citizens Advice service on 2 April.
The Citizens Advice service will also take on responsibility from Consumer Focus for representing consumers’ interests in unregulated sectors. This will leave a new, technical Regulated Industries Unit working with the energy and postal services sectors and their regulators, replacing Consumer Focus.
For more information see: http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2012/Apr/new-national-board-will-uncover-scams-and-rogue-traders (external website)
Our core duties
Our core work consists of:
- Securing a fair deal for energy consumers
- Securing a fair deal for postal consumers
- Work on areas of private sector markets where available evidence points to consumer detriment
- The Extra Help Unit, which assists vulnerable consumers
- Our work on Complaints of General Interest
- The work of Consumer Focus Scotland on behalf of Scottish consumers
- The work of Consumer Focus Wales on behalf of Welsh Consumers
- The work of Consumer Focus Post on behalf of postal consumers in Northern Ireland
- Our earned income projects
Download: Consumer Focus Annual Report 2010/11 (PDF 2.7MB) – Adroddiad Blynyddol a Chyfrifon 2010/11 (PDF 3.8MB)
Download: Consumer Focus Annual Plan 2012/13 (PDF 1.25MB) – Cynllun Blynyddol 2012/13 (PDF 482KB)
Download: Consumer Focus Wales Annual Plan flyer 2011/12 (PDF 258KB) – Lais Defnyddwyr Cymru Cynllun Blynyddol 2011/12)
Download: Corporate Plan (2010/13) (PDF 1.1 MB)
Download: Who we are (June 2011) (PDF 515KB)
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