Frequently Asked Questions

1. When will the BRC Helpline be open for BRC members?
The BRC Helpline service is available now.

2. Which BRC members can use the Helpline service?
Any BRC retail members are entitled to use this service, although this is limited to 5 users per company and to head office personnel. BRC trade association members may also use this service for their own needs, but not for use on behalf of their members.

3. What is the phone number for the BRC Helpline, and when does the service operate?
The BRC Helpline telephone number is 0870 428 1410 and the lines are open Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm, excluding Bank Holidays.

Messages can be left out of hours and a member of the Helpline team will call you back during opening hours.

4. How much will the calls cost?
All calls are charged at national rate, charges may vary depending on your service provider.

5. How often can I call the BRC Helpline during my BRC annual membership?
You can access specialist legal and technical advisers as often as you like at no extra cost to your BRC subscription. However, there is a maximum of five users per company although users can be replaced.

6. Do I need to register to use the BRC Helpline?
Yes, all members will need to contact the BRC Membership Services team on 020 7854 8972, or by email: www.membershipservices@brc.org.uk to obtain their membership number and register themselves as one of their 5 company users. Thereafter you can ring the BRC Helpline directly.

7. Will I be asked to provide proof of my BRC membership when I ring the BRC Helpline?
When using the BRC Helpline, members will be asked to verify their BRC membership by quoting their corporate email address and their unique membership number. This can be obtained by contacting BRC Membership services. (See question 6). Please have this information to hand when telephoning the BRC Helpline.

8. When I call the BRC Helpline, who will be answering my call?
In the first instance, your call will be answered by one of the Helpline Customer Service Advisers. They will take your details and the nature of your query, and then place your call with a relevant legal and technical adviser. They will be able to provide the information and advice you require.

9. How qualified are the team of legal and technical advisers to provide me with legal advice?
Each adviser has a relevant professional qualification within their field and has undertaken training to enable them to provide clear and concise advice over the telephone.

10. Are all of the calls received by the BRC Helpline recorded?
All calls are recorded for training purposes and will be referred to should you encounter any problems in the future relating to the advice you received.

11. On what areas of the law can I receive information and advice on from the BRC Helpline?
Contract, Employment, Health & Safety, Consumer, Negligence, Transport, Landlord & Tenant, Environment, Land, Planning, Tax, Food, Packaging and Rating.

If you require advice outside of these areas, you should still call the BRC Helpline. If we are unable to answer your query, our team will point you in the right direction for obtaining the correct advice.

12. Can all advice be given over the phone?
In circumstances where it is not possible, due the complexity or nature of the advice required, to provide sufficient service over the telephone, the caller will be recommended to seek advice from a solicitor. At this stage, the caller will either be referred to a recommended solicitor from our legal panel or they can seek further advice from their own solicitor. Where the caller is referred to one of our solicitors, they will incur charges from the point of contact with that solicitor.

13. What are typical questions that are received by the BRC Helpline?
Retailer: Questions relating to the purchase of goods that are found to be faulty and how the retailer can respond.

Landlord & Tenant: Questions relating to the landlords obligation to business tenancies and other tenancies.

Employment: Questions relating to an employees rights to claim maternity/paternity leave, sick pay and annual holidays.

Planning: Questions relating to the rules and processes surrounding planning permission and boundaries.

Tax: Questions relating to the completion of tax returns.

14. How can I find out more about the BRC Helpline?
To find out more details about the BRC Helpline, please contact the BRC Membership Services team, tel: 020 7854 8972