The Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO), which last month welcomed six new members including legal expenses specialist Coral Insurance and injury solicitors Hilary Meredith, has added Alex Neill and Crispin Passmore to its advisory committee.
Neill, an Aviva and RAC alumnus, spent more than a decade at consumer champion Which? where she held senior roles such as managing director of home products and services. The new independent advisor, who believes business should benefit society, is “keen to help ACSO sponsor different ways of thinking about the nature of the contract between companies and their customers so that the reputation of business – so damaged in recent years – can begin to be restored.”
Passmore, meanwhile, brings years of experience from the Legal Services Commission, Legal Services Board, and Solicitors Regulation Authority. He noted: “Regulatory authorities face huge challenges to deliver the best consumer protection outcomes; they will welcome constructive engagement from organisations like ACSO that genuinely ‘think customer’ and avoid special pleading.”
Commenting on the development, ACSO chair Charles Layfield described the two as highly experienced individuals in arenas – consumer and regulatory – that are central to the trade body’s focus.
“They share our fundamental belief that policy, systems, and practice on all sides must have the interests of consumers at their heart,” said Layfield. “All too often, vested interests from across all aspects of the sector are in the driving seat when it comes to making and managing claims, and unsurprisingly this leads to cynicism among the public and policymakers.
“These two appointments underscore our desire to do things differently. ACSO is a body that proactively engages with policymakers, regulators, industry, and the media to ensure there is a properly functioning, competitive, and sustainable justice system for honest consumers. We must drive best practice into the sector, and eradicate areas of malpractice that exist.”
