Frequently asked questions

1. Why have you set up VS Trading?

The support we offer victims is free to them but costs millions to provide.

VS Trading will provide us with a valuable new income stream that will help ensure we can be there for those that need us. It is also an important part of our ongoing drive to help people feel empowered, safe and supported in their daily lives.

VS Trading has been running for 20 years offering training services. Now, we are looking to expand this platform with innovative new services and products.

2. If you’re committed to preventing crime and to supporting victims of crime, shouldn’t you be providing people with these types of products and services for free?

We provide practical and emotional support to thousands of victims of crime and traumatic incidents every year, helping them get back on track with their lives. The support we give through our charity is free and we’re there for as long as they need us.

Sometimes that support might involve providing victims of crime — and particularly repeat victims of crime — with safety services and products free of charge.

That is part of our charitable core service for victims of crime. But VS Trading is a separate entity. It exists to provide the general public — whether they’ve been victims of crime or not — with products and services that help them feel more confident and safe in their daily lives.

As a charity we can’t afford to give away these products for free. But we are committed to providing them at a competitive price that truly reflects their benefits and features, so that they are accessible to as many people as possible.

3. Are the products and services you sell developed by Victim Support?

No, we won’t be developing our product range in-house. We believe that the best way to offer value to our customers is to tap into existing expertise.

We will be using our unique insights into what victims tell us, common safety concerns and common criminal tactics to offer customers the most useful and effective products available to help people stay safe in their daily lives.

These products will be sourced from reputable suppliers who will work with us to promote the products to the public.

4. Are the products and services found on VS Trading exclusive to Victim Support?

In some cases they will be, but in many cases they won’t. We aren’t interested in whether we have exclusivity on a product or not. All we’re interested in is sourcing the very best products and services available to help answer common safety concerns and needs.

We will also provide that peace of mind by working with suppliers to ensure they have excellent customer service, their teams understand the impact of crime and they understand what support customers may require. We have done all the hard leg-work and used our expertise to select excellent products and providers so our customers don’t have to.

5. Are the products on your website suitable for everyone?

Accessibility is very important to us. We strive to ensure all our services and products are accessible to people with a wide variety of different needs.

For instance, the OwnFone’s buttons that link directly to a user’s contacts are completely customisable. They can feature braille or contacts’ names or photos. It’s up to the customer to decide what they’ll find easiest to use.

6. Do all the products in your range comply with the highest safety standards?

We are rigorous in our product selection and all products in our range will have accreditation e.g. the CE mark or BSI Kitemark to provide customers with the reassurance that the products have been checked for safety and quality of manufacture by a recognised third party safety body.

7. Will 100% of your profits go towards supporting Victim Support’s work?

VS Trading is governed by the Charity Commission rules on social enterprise practices. This means all our profits after costs will go towards supporting the charitable work Victim Support does to provide practical and emotional support to victims of crime and traumatic incidents.

8. How can I be sure that I’m getting good value when I’m buying from you?  Will you be guaranteeing lowest prices and will you have a price match promise?

We are a social enterprise rather than a discount or volume retailer so we will not be able to price match. However, we’re committed to selecting the very best products and services available within a price range and to ensuring they’re competitively priced to reflect the true value of their features and benefits.

If you hear of a similar product that is cheaper than ours we would like to hear about it, as we want to do our best to remain competitive.

9. If I buy from Victim Support can I guarantee that I’ll be safe, because of your expertise?

Unfortunately, buying a safety product from us — or from anyone — doesn’t offer a guarantee that you won’t become a victim of crime in the future.

However, we have used our expertise to select products that answer common safety concerns and needs with solutions that we believe will empower those that buy them to feel confident and safer in the daily lives.

10. I’ve got some additional questions that I want answered before I commit to buy.  Who should I contact?

If you have any queries regarding a product or service in our range, please get in touch at enterprise@victimsupport.org.uk and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.

11. How quickly can I expect to receive my product?

Each of our products and services is very different so we can’t commit to a standard delivery time. However we give a clear indication of expected delivery times alongside each product.

If you have questions about delivery, please email us.

12. What is your refund policy if a product turns out to be unsuitable?

We want our customers to be 100% satisfied with the products and services they buy from us.

If you are not satisfied with the product you have bought, we are happy to refund you the full amount you paid within 28 days, or to exchange it for a replacement product if it is in unused condition and if you can provide proof of purchase.

13. What happens if the product you sell me doesn’t work?

We are rigorous in our product selection and will only ever sell products and services we’d be happy to invest in ourselves or to buy for our own families.

However, we accept that in very rare circumstances a product might be faulty. In these circumstances, if a fault is proven and if you can send us proof of purchase we will be happy to replace the product with a replacement product or to refund you the full amount you paid for the product.

14. How can I provide feedback on my buying experience or products?

At the end of any buying transaction we’ll ask you to rate your buying experience.

We’d also love to hear your feedback on products and services once you’ve used them — just drop us an email to enterprise@victimsupport.org.uk.f