Who Are The CAI?

The CAI is the recognised body for the aerial and satellite industry. The CAI is committed to raising Standards within the industry and whilst the criteria for membership is extremely high, the consumer is assured of a quality installation at a fair price.

One of the many membership requirements is that any installing member company will agree to the examination and test of any equipment manufactured or supplied, the inspection of any installation or investigation into conduct which could have a detrimental effect on the reputation of the CAI or its Members.

Commitment & Professionalism

CAI Members only employ qualified personnel whose work is monitored by an Inspector. If a CAI Member is undergoing inspection, it may be that the CAI Inspector will wish to accompany them to view their installing capabilities. This would be at no extra charge to the customer. It is however, within the rights of the customer, to refuse to the installation to be inspected.

Guarantees

All CAI Members guarantee their installations for a minimum of twelve months. In addition to this, the CAI undertakes to back-up this guarantee with its own twelve months guarantee, for domestic installations only.

This means that should a CAI Member fail to honour their twelve months guarantee on a domestic installation, the consumer can seek redress via the CAI - Provided that the problems are within the realms of the original guarantee, the CAI will arrange to have the work corrected - at no extra cost to the consumer.

Codes of Practice

All Members are required to work to the exacting standards laid down in the CAI Codes of Practice.

ID Cards

CAI Members should carry identity cards that clearly state their name and company details together with a photograph. If you are in any doubt about the validity of an installer, ring the CAI on 01923 803030 during normal office hours.

Public Liability Insurance

All CAI Members are required to have full insurance cover to cover all aspects of their business. Most importantly there is a minimum requirement of £2,000,000 for public liability insurance. This gives the consumer total peace of mind before the company even commences work.

Complaints Against CAI Members

If a customer is unhappy with the standard of workmanship carried out by a CAI Registered Installer, or indeed is dissatisfied with any aspect of the job, the CAI has an official complaints procedure. The CAI will fully investigate any complaint that it receives against one of its Members and is empowered to impose sanctions on its Members If necessary.

When it is deemed that a Member has fallen outside the boundaries of the CAI Codes of Practice, they will be instructed to correct the areas that have been identified.

The CAI will monitor the complaint to ensure that the defects are rectified. The Member company will then be asked to confirm to the CAI that this has been done, within the pre-determined timescale that will have been set. The CAI will then check with the customer to ensure that they are now satisfied.

Depending on the severity of the complaint, the installer may be asked to take the appropriate training and/or have their membership reviewed. A CAI Member who fails to rectify work or to carry out the necessary training will be removed from membership and will no longer be authorised to use the CAI Logo.

The CAI Plus Scheme

The CAI Plus Scheme was launched to create a higher membership category than already existed, in order to allow all of our 10,000+ engineers to gain recognition as Qualified Digital Installers.

This will show the public that CAI Engineers are trained, regulated to a high standard and are professional and that to join, the Confederation has every regard for their abilities for the digital switchover.

CAI Plus members, in addition to current CAI membership requirements, will be required to provide the following three form of evidence:

•  That they have obtained a satisfactory Criminal Records (CRB) check.

• That they do hold certification proving CAI minimum standard liability insurance – Employers liability or the public/tradesman’s liability. (£2m for domestic installers and  £5m for systems installers).

• That they do hold certification proving Working Safely at Heights course has been completed.

Although our current inspection process qualifies CAI Engineers to become CAI Plus registered, upon providing the above evidence, the Board of Directors wish to emphasise the importance of the NVQ and would encourage all its members to undertake an appropriate qualification for the type of work they undertake when training becomes available.

In these cases additional information can be provided by the engineer as extra evidence to become CAI Plus registered. These are:

• Certificates of CAI Education & Skills courses.

• Copies of enrolment/candidate centre details if engineers are undertaking NVQ L2 with a college or training provider.

The process of gaining CAI Plus membership involves applying for CR checks for engineers who will be entering customer’s property. It will be a requirement that all vans carrying ‘CAI Plus’ logos will be manned by at least one engineer providing satisfactory evidence of competence. CAI Plus will be the way forward into this new and exciting digital age and beyond.

We are delighted to report that the initial response to this initiative has been overwhelmingly positive and we will do everything we can to promote CAI Plus and our membership into the digital future.