The next question: recording

[P Prentice]

He does, I does, we does................shame everyone else doesn't in the race to undercut.

I'm in three minds over this. Tool's observations from other industries seem relevant, registration or chartered status does little to improve standards and conditions, these are maintained by individuals who fight for them from within or through independent vigilance and reporting of malpractice and companies caring about reputation vs profits.

Look at the building trade and small companies.........it's really easy to get accreditation, do shocking work, get away with it until you finally get caught, settle or go bankrupt, then start the cycle again under a different company name.........The big ones do too............not naming names..........but companies change name often....Balfor Beaty/Birse, Tarmac/Carnellion etc etc.

It seems in this profit-is-all world the only checks and balances are the public, small claims court, the press and tv shows like 'rogue traders' Odin preserve us!

actually i think undercutting on performance becomes harder if standards are adhered to. undercutting on cost price is easier if you pay low wages and dont provide adequate training, sickness benefit and holidays etc. ro's are required to but non-ro's are not. there appears to be a lot of hyperbole regarding chartered industries failing to come up to standard but nobody has presented any proof. sure builders are cowboys but we are trying to be architects and surveyors!!! our industry is small enough that rogue traders will and do stand out a mile. the status quo whereby if you can get passed the curator it is fair game, will have a second row defense under chartership.