TPI Code of PracticeThird Party Intermediary TPI Code of Practice

As an award winning business energy consultant, Catalyst has signed up to the Third Party Intermediary TPI Code of Practice for micro businesses. The Code means that we have promised to stick to a set of guidelines designed to ensure that you get a high quality service that you can rely on.

You can find more information on the code on the official website, where you can read more about how its regulated and they also have a frequently asked questions section on the code also, that you may find really useful. If you want to read more on this subject or are simply after more information on the code of practice, all you need to do is review the TPI Code of Practice website and you can read the full TPI Code of Practice. Its still relatively new so you will need to check back regularity for updates as we anticipate that additional suppliers or the regulator will also adopt there own version of this TPI Code of Practice.

TPI Code of Practice

Top 10 Points From The TPI Code of Practice

> Staff – We will run background checks on our staff and make sure that they have regular training and regular assessments. They will also identify themselves and who they work for when you speak to them.

> Clarity – We will be ‘honest, accurate and clear’, whether that’s in our sales material, on the phone or face-to-face.

> No Pressure – We won’t use any high-pressure sales techniques or push you into making a decision that you not comfortable with.

> Annual Estimates – Before you sign a contract with us, we’ll give you an annual estimate based on up-to-date prices and we’ll explain how it was calculated and the main terms of the contract.

> Letters of Authority – So that we can act on your behalf in our negotiations with energy suppliers, we will get you to sign a Letter of Authority. This Letter of Authority will make it very clear what we are getting your permission to do.

> Your Privacy – We are registered and adhere to the Data Protection Act and we’ll screen our customer data to make sure that they’re in line with the marketing consent lists like the Telephone Preference Service.

> Your Energy Contract – Before you sign a contract with an energy supplier, we’ll make sure you understand what you’re signing and the implications it has.

> Rejections – If the supplier you want to switch to rejects your application for any reason, we’ll let you know right away.

> Audits – Under the TPI code of practice, we’ll be audited to make sure we’re sticking to the TPI Code of Practice at least once a year. If we don’t stick to the TPI Code of Practice we can be fined or suspended from selling certain products and tariffs.

> Complaints – We have a simple and effective system for handling complaints.  Compliance – Any complaint that is unresolved under the TPI Code of Practice within 7-days will be escalated to the Independent Code Manager.

Complaints Handling Procedure

We know sometimes things can go wrong and we take complaints very seriously, so if you aren’t happy with our sales and marketing activities or the service you’ve received, we’ll always do our best to put things right.

This leaflet tells you what to do if you have a complaint. Please give us the opportunity to put it right. When you call or write to us, your Account Manager will manage your enquiry and they’ll do all they can to resolve your issue straight away.

In the unlikely event that we’ve been unable to resolve your complaint, or you remain unhappy you can ask for your complaint to be referred to our Complaints Team and request that they contact you by phone or letter.

Alternatively, you can: email: [email protected] or write to: Complaints Team, TPI Code of Practice, Catalyst Commercial Services Ltd, 15 Colmore Row, Birmingham, West Midlands, B3 2AA.

What we’ll do:

Rest assured we’re committed to resolving your complaint. We’ll keep in touch with you until it’s finalised.

We’ll carry out a review of all the actions we’ve taken and all correspondence between us.

We’ll keep you informed through to resolution.

Our commitment to you

We’ll always do our best to resolve your complaint within 10 working days. If it takes longer than this, we’ll tell you the likely timescale and keep you informed of our progress throughout.

If your complaint is about our sales and marketing activities, you can be assured we’ll investigate it thoroughly as any sales representative acting on our behalf must meet the standards set out in our code of practice.

When complete, our response to any complaint about our service to you, our products or failure to meet the required standards in our sales and marketing will include (where appropriate) an apology, an explanation and/or compensation. We’ll also let you know what we have done to put things right.

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In the event that you are not satisfied with how your complaint has been resolved the energy Ombudsman offers an independent service which is free to use. They will carry out an independent investigation on your behalf and act as an arbiter to resolve any complaints to a satisfactory conclusion.

You can call them on 0330 440 1624, email them [email protected] or visit their website at www.os-energy.org for further advise. Complaints that are not resolved within 7-days are further escalated to the TPI code Manager.