Posted: 16 August, 2024. Written by Virginia Graham
RECC has responded to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) consultation on its draft guidance for Trader Recommendation Platform (TRPs) operators. RECC's views are relevant to those operating in the domestic renewable energy sector.
RECC has welcomed the CMA's guidance. In its response, RECC has urged CMA to make it clearer that platforms that may regard themselves as lead generators rather than TRPs are included in the scope if they implicitly make recommendations. For example, they are likely to be implicitly recommending a trader who provides a quote for a job a consumer has entered on the platform.
RECC has also urged the CMA to make it clear that those platform operators who only publish reviews and testimonials still have a duty to ensure that they are genuine. RECC has suggested that they can take steps to do this by following best practice guidelines and checking that reviews have not been generated by AI or by other ‘review farms’.
RECC has also pointed out that, in the domestic renewable sector, the installer who contracts with the consumer is responsible for all claims made and marketing information provided. It is incumbent on the installer to ensure that any claims about the product or service they provide that are being made by a TRP operator they are associated with are accurate and comply with the law. RECC has suggested that the CMA's guidance should also remind TRP operators that they have a duty to ensure that any advertisign claims or marking materials comply with the law.
You can read RECC's response below.