Section B Citizens' and customer charters
Many organisations are very reputable and go beyond their rights under law by offering a range of services to their customers. An example is the 'no refunds' policy that some retail shops have if you change your mind about something you have bought.
Some organisations will advertise their charter, or customers service standards. This tells them what their rights are, how problems will be dealt with and how to bring any complaints. The citizen charter was introduced by the government in 1991 to focus on consumer rights in areas such as health, education, transport, welfare, tax, customs procedures etc.
Today there are over 200 national charters and dozens of local charters, which relate to regional services, such as our local authority, benefit office or hospital. Organisations, which consistently prove they can offer a high standard of service to the public, are awarded the charter mark.
Valued Customer
Customers
Customers are Ignoring YouThe Chartermark sign of excellence
Customer charters are issued mainly by private organisations (e.g. retail stores, manufacturers, service suppliers) the purpose of charters is to:
ÃÂPublish standards of service
ÃÂContinuously improve customer service standards
ÃÂProvide full information on customer rights
ÃÂEnsure all customers are treated equally and fairly
ÃÂEnsure all customers know how to complain.
I have collected tow citizen charters for comparison. I have got one from Vehicle Inspectorate and the one is from London Bus.
Vehicle InspectorateLondon Bus
Purpose The purpose of this leaflet is to give some guidance to their customers on how to use their services, to ensure that all customers are treated the same and that they are able to provide an efficient service at all their test stations.The purpose of their customer charter is to improve customer service standards, provide full information, ensure that all customers are treated equally and fairly, and...