Compliance Area outcomes

Analysis of outcomes against Compliance Areas in 2016

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RECC's Annual report includes an explanation of the Code’s monitoring strategy and of the 10 Key Compliance Areas under which RECC records the results of:

  • a rolling Consumer Feedback Survey (CSS)
  • compliance audits of members and
  • consumer complaints.

The current analysis presents the monitoring results for each of these elements separately (as set out in RECC’s Annual Report). It then brings these results together, along with some additional data, to show the performance overall against each Compliance Area. The object of this analysis is to assess the extent to which consumer detriment has been prevented across the spectrum of the Code.


The 10 Key Compliance Areas

CA1: Awareness of consumer protection / RECC (including staff training)
CA2: Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)
CA3: Marketing and selling
CA4: Estimates/quotes, particularly performance estimates and financial incentive
CA5: Finance agreements
CA6: Contracts and cancellation rights
CA7: Taking and protection of deposits and advanced payments
CA8: Completing the installation
CA9: After –sales (guarantees, workmanship warranties and warranty protection, after sales support: customer service)
CA10: Disputes numbers, handling, procedures


Monitoring results

Figures 1 to 3 show the results graphically under each of the Compliance Areas areas in:

  • RECC’s Consumer Feedback Survey (Figure 1)
  • audits of members (Figure 2) and
  • complaints about members (Figure 3).

Figure 1: percentage of consumers responding positively to survey questions

Figure 2: % of audited members compliant on each Compliance Area at audit

Figure 2: % of audited members compliant on each Compliance Area at audit

Figure 3: % of disputes registered in which Compliance area featured

Figure 3: % of disputes registered in which Compliance area featured

The Annual Report provides more detailed commentary on each of these planks of the monitoring programme (see pp 26-29, 20-25 and 34-44 respectively). Highlighted points include:
                          

  • overall the majority of consumers who provided feedback were positive about their experience with RECC members, with 80% rating their  overall experience as 4/5 or 5/5, indicating they were satisfied or very satisfied. There was slightly less positive feedback in the areas of the consumer being made aware of the existence of a dispute resolution procedure (part of CA10) and of deposit protection (CA 7): of the 75% of respondents who had paid a deposit, 68% confirmed they had received an insurance policy  which protected it;
  • the most frequent area of non-compliance found at audits was in pre-contractual information, contracts and cancellation rights and awareness of the Code;
  • after-sales (guarantees, workmanship warranties and warranty protection, after-sales support and customer service) was the most frequently-featured Compliance Area in disputes.

As the Annual Report outlines, RECC has used these results to steer its work in producing model documents, running webinars and providing training, as well as in providing the focus of its compliance activities.

The following section brings together all the performance measures from the monitoring programme under each of the 10 Compliance Areas


Performance measures

Table 1 provides the 10 Key Compliance Areas with all associated performance measures against which RECC undertook to report. The areas are shaded to show their relative priority – the darker the shade, the higher the priority.

Table 1: Performance by Compliance Area
Awareness of consumer protection / RECC (including staff training)
  • 75% of CSS respondents said they had been made aware of RECC
  • 33% overall audit compliance in this area
  • 60% of members at audit providing consumer leaflet with quotes
  • 53% of members at audit with link to RECC on their website
  • 30 (2.6%) disputes registered featuring a CA1 issue
  • Members completed 249 exams on RECC’s online training
CA2: Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS)
  • 85% of CSS responders indicating receipt of MCS handover documents within 10 days
  • 78% overall audit compliance on this area
  • 94% of members at audit who are MCS-certified for the relevant technologies
  • 167  (14.6%%) disputes registered featuring a CA2 issue
  • 20% of complaints predominantly or partly about technical issues, which are referred on to MCS Certification Bodies (CBs)
CA3: Marketing and selling
  • 89% of CSS responders satisfied or very satisfied with how the system was sold
  • 39% overall audit compliance on this area
  • 242 (21.2%) disputes registered featuring marketing and selling 
CA4: Estimates/quotes, particularly performance estimates and financial incentive
  • 87%  of CSS responders indicating sufficient pre-contractual information was provided
  • 92% of CSS responders indicating the performance of the system as well as what this meant in financial terms were explained clearly to them
  • 17% overall audit compliance in this area
  • 347 (30.4%) disputes registered featuring estimates etc
CA5: Finance agreements: overall audit compliance
  • 8% of CSS responders indicating that they took finance,  81% of whom consider they were given adequate information and documentation
  • 22% of the members audited indicated they are offering finance. Of these, 75% were found to be compliant.
  • 108 (9.4%) disputes registered featuring finance agreements with members
CA6: Contracts and cancellation rights
  • 88% of CSS responders indicating no concerns about the contract  they signed
  • 87% of CSS responders said they were made aware of the cancellation period
  • 33% overall audit compliance in this area
  • 198 (17.3%) disputes registered featuring contractual issues and/or cancellation rights
CA7: Taking and protection of deposits and advanced payments
  • 74% of CSS respondents indicating they paid a deposit, of which 68% said they’d received an insurance policy protecting it
  • 78% overall audit compliance in this area
  • 61% of members indicated at audit that they take deposits
  • Of these, 64% had deposit insurance in place at audit; Of those that did not, 50% had it in place by the end of the audit process (the remainder were referred to the Non-Compliance Team)
  • 42 (3.7%) disputes registered featuring deposit issues
CA8: Completing the installation
  • 85% of consumers completing CSS questionnaires were satisfied or very satified with the quality of work
  • 89% of CSS responders said their system was delivered and installed on time
  • 61% overall audit compliance in this area
  • 159 (13.9%) disputes registered featuring issues relating to  completing the installation
CA9: After –sales (guarantees, workmanship warranties and warranty protection, after sales support: customer service)
  • 94% of CSS respondents indicating they were provided with at least a 2-year workmanship warranty
  • 78% of CSS respondents indicating they received an insurance policy for the warranty
  • 61% overall audit compliance in this area
  • 723 (63.3% ) disputes registered featuring after-sales issues
CA10: Disputes numbers, handling, procedures
  • 67% of CSS respondents indicating they were made aware of  a dispute resolution procedure
  • 19% of CSS respondents indicating they made a complaint to the member; of these, 9% were satisfied with its handling
  • 82% overall audit compliance in this area
  • 140  (12.2%) disputes registered featuring issues relating to  complaints to members
  • 1,143 disputes registered by RECC

    Of which:

    • 445 within RECC’s remit
    • 221 feedback about members
    • 33 feedback about non-members
    • 29 non-domestic
    • 181 potential
    • 231 referred onwards
    • number of disputes received by issue – in order of CA
  • CA1:   30
  • CA2:   167
  • CA3:   242
  • CA4:   347
  • CA5:  108
  • CA6:  198
  • CA7:   42
  • CA8:   159
  • CA9:   723
  • CA10: 140
  • 86 (47%) of in-remit disputes resolved in 2016 were resolved by RECC dispute resolution case workers (see Table 3 below).
Table 2: Disputes registered with RECC by technology and as % of all domestic installations of that technology
Technology Percentage Disputes registered with RECC Total domestic installations
ASHP 2.1 108 5,135
Biomass 11.7 113 962
GSHP 2.3 28 1,236
Solar PV 1.0 764 73,306
Solar thermal 9.7 64 660
Table 3: Elements of dispute resolution brokered by RECC case workers
Elements of resolution brokered by RECC* Number
Total resolutions by RECC 86
Of which:
refunds 23
compensation/price reduction 37
goodwill gesture 2
cancellation of contract and/or amendment 6
removal of system 8
repair/remedy problem 18

* Resolving disputes may involve more than one element, hence the total number of elements of resolution is greater than the total number of resolved disputes.

Table 4: Resolution of disputes within RECC’s remit
24 weeks was the average length of time taken by RECC case workers to resolve disputes
87 (48%) of in-remit disputes resolved in 2016 were resolved by means of independent arbitration