Firm fined for misuse of NICEIC and Gas Safe logos
A family firm has been convicted of fraudulently claiming to be registered with NICEIC and Gas Safe.
Enfield based Tony Matheou and his two sons Marios and Anthony, who traded under the name of AA & E Builders Limited, were convicted of falsely claiming to be both NICEIC and Gas Safe registered.All three men pleaded guilty to the offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations act 2008 at Enfield Magistrates Court. They were each fined £200 per offence. The company was also fined £800 and ordered to pay £500 in costs.
The firm used the logos of both regulatory bodies on headed paper given to a customer, despite not being registered with either organisation.
NICEIC’s CEO Emma McCarthy said, ‘We take misuse of our logo very seriously and we welcome this latest prosecution.
‘The NICEIC name is associated with quality and we must protect those contractors who are legitimately registered with us and have the quality of their work assessed on a regular basis.
‘We must also send out the message that anyone thinking about misusing our logo will be caught and dealt with appropriately by the courts.’
A spokesperson for Gas Safe Register added, ‘The Gas Safe name and brand is owned by the HSE and operated by us on their behalf and it is important that it is only used by those entitled to do so.
‘We always encourage consumers to check the ID card and registration number of anyone planning on undertaking gas work in their home to ensure they are who they say they are and that they are qualified to carry out the job.’
Earlier this year NICEIC stepped up its fight against firms incorrectly using its logo by setting up a wall of shame. Contractors caught falsely claiming to be members will be named and shamed on the NICEIC website and their details passed to Trading Standards.
Anyone who is suspicious of a contractor falsely claiming to be NICEIC registered should check the NICEIC website at www.niceic.com which contains a full list of all those approved contractors registered with NICEIC.
