Q.  How are you different from the other credit reference agencies?
A.  Most credit reference agencies provide ‘run of the mill’ credit reports which contain information from Companies House and the Courts.  The problem is that this information is very often out of date, sometimes as much as two years out of date.  On its own it can be misleading as a lot can change in two years, particularly in the construction industry.  This is why, in addition to the usual ‘run of the mill’ credit information we also provide up-to-date trading experiences which are sourced from our thousands of members.  These detailed trading experiences allow you to make informed credit decisions based on current data and not old data.  We also have an in-depth knowledge of the construction industry because we have chosen to specialise in this field.  The construction sector is like no other.  Customers are more mobile, fraud is more prevalent, phoenix companies are an every day occurrence, debtors abscond more frequently and equipment regularly disappears.  Only we can keep you up to date with the latest scams because only we know the industry inside out.
 
Q.  How much does your service cost?
A.  Please give us a call on 01527 503990 for an instant quote as you may be entitled to a discount.  All subscriptions are billed quarterly and are payable by direct debit.  Click here to view the ‘Direct Debit Guarantee’.  There is no minimum commitment period.
 
Q.  Are any special discounts available?
A.  Yes, we have special relationships with a number of associations, federations and trade publications. Click here for details of available discounts.  
 
Q.  What is the minimum commitment period?
A.  There is no minimum commitment period.  We want you to stay with us because you value our service and not because we have tied you into a long contract. 
 
Q.  Where do you get your information from?
A.  Our trading experiences are sourced from our thousands of members, all of whom supply goods or services to the construction industry.  We collect this ‘trader to trader’ information in whatever format is easiest for each individual member.  Some members complete our online form while others email us lists in varying formats. Our credit limits and credit scores are calculated by taking the opinions of two of the major credit reference agencies and then applying our own insider intelligence to come up with what we feel are the most informed, predictive and realistic ratings on the market.
 
Q.  Is this just a web-based service?
A.  Definitely not.  We use the web as a convenient way to deliver our credit information but we are by no means a ‘virtual company’.  We have a team of over 50 people who are available every weekday between 8.30am and 5pm to deal with customer requests.  We do not use automated telephone answering systems and we answer 93% of all incoming calls within seven seconds.  All team members receive at least six months training before we deem them knowledgeable enough to answer help-desk calls without supervision.
 
Q.  How long has your information sharing service been operating?
A.  Our construction industry payment history service was introduced in 1992. Previous to this we supplied ‘run of the mill’ credit reports to complement our debt recovery service.
 
Q.  Is there a charge for your monitoring service?
A.  Our monitoring service is completely free of charge.  Simply let us know who you would like to keep an eye on and we will alert you by fax or email whenever:  

• A limited company has a new County Court Judgment registered.
• A limited company’s suggested credit limit changes.
• A limited company enters into some sort of formal insolvency.
• A limited company files a new set of accounts. 

Our member support team will also telephone you whenever a serious adverse payment history is logged against a business that you are monitoring.

Q.  How do I join?
A.  Either click here to join now or telephone 01527 503990 any week day between 8.30am and 5.00pm.