Andrews & Arnold Ltd remains an owner run business, run by Adrian & Sandra Kennard. This means the policies are dictated by us.
A key part of the business policy has always been to "do the right thing".
Personally, I have a blog, which covers a lot of what I feel is "right" and I welcome customers reading and considering it. www.me.uk
There have been some edge cases over the years where we have debated the matters of how we run the business or handle an issue, and these would have been a lot easier if it was simply "what saves/makes the company the most money". There have been sleepless nights, we take this seriously, honest.
We always try and err on the side of the customer in the event of a grey area. It is one reason why the one ADR case we have ever had was so stressful, we should never have any case get to ADR. If we are doing things right there should not be a dispute to resolve.
Occasionally we have some customer want us to sign some code of conduct or some such, and in general we cannot do that.
For a start we need to have a lawyer consider the exact terms, and even if they do, they may advise, for very good reason, we cannot agree to what is proposed.
Obviously this costs and when asked to consider such a document, we expect the customer demanding this to pay (at cost, only fair) the lawyer's fees. This is the "right thing" here - a customer wants extra terms, sometimes on a £1/month service with pence of profit, and asks us to agree their terms, so it is only fair, surely? We could just say no, we do not want you as a customer, but we'll consider it if our costs are covered.
Even so, if we are advised not to sign, it is never because the document tries to impose moral standards with which we do not agree, but because of the way it is worded, and legal implications.
Much of this is like old Y2K demands from customers and suppliers which were rarely well thought out, even when from major companies.
Many such documents start by insisting we comply with all laws!
Well, I did not know that was optional, and one has to ask them to explain more on this if they think complying with laws is optional. I assumed we always had to comply with all laws to which we are subject, so if they think it is optional then we have to ask if we want them as a customer! Even so, do they think a party that does not comply with laws will somehow comply with contract law about agreeing to their document? This just highlights the stupidity of such documents in so many cases.
In some cases specific laws are then singled out, like Health & Safety law, and Modern Slavery law. Well, we comply with all laws to which we are subject, simple.
One of the big issues is we are somehow expected to enforce all the same code of conduct on our suppliers.
Unfortunately we are in an industry with a small set of suppliers, and they are big companies like BT.
We're happy to confirm who the suppliers are so a customer can decide if they are happy with them, but in general we are not in a position to remotely impose conditions on our suppliers. This is often the main reason we cannot agree to such terms - because we cannot do what is asked.
Obviously we're happy to consider any concerns customers have with specific suppliers, and indeed, seriously consider the moral and ethical issues with any suppliers, but we cannot make them agree to some code of conduct, we are too small to do that.
So what is our policy?
After some consideration I still say it is "do the right thing".
If that needs elaboration, then it is: the company will always give significant weight and consideration to all ethical and moral issues in making any decision, including the choice of suppliers (and customers). And, of course, comply with all laws to which we are subject.
We also aim to be open and honest at all times.
Hopefully this addresses any concerns customers have. At the end of the day the choice is with the customer, they can choose their supplier. So I hope this page provides what you need to make an informed choice.
Even so, we welcome feedback.
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Adrian
From 150 customer reviews, we've been rated an average
