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Consumer Direct East Midlands
Posted on 22/04/2008
P. Klein
Consumer Direct East Midlands received more than 1,600 complaints about builders, plumbers, electricians, decorators and other home improvement traders in the first three months of this year totaling almost £5 million.
During that period, concerns about home maintenance and improvements accounted for the highest number of calls to the government advice service.
Nationally Consumer Direct received more than 19,000 home maintenance and improvement complaints, with a value of almost £80 million.
In total, Consumer Direct East Midlands advisors logged 1,621 home maintenance complaints, an 8% increase from 1,499 complaints received in the same three months last year.
Complaints about building work totalled £1.8 million, problems with fitted kitchens reached £925,000, and new bathroom complaints topped £587,000.
Sara Barry, Consumer Direct East Midlands Manager said: Theres no foolproof way of avoiding problems, but you can help to minimise the risks by doing your homework before you embark on any project. Make sure you agree clear terms with the trader and if things go wrong, check your rights and take prompt action.
Consumer Direct has the following tips for people carrying out home maintenance or improvement projects:
• Ask friends and neighbours for recommendations or look for traders who belong to trade associations or are approved by schemes like Trustmark (www.trustmark.org.uk).
• Shop around and ask for at least three written quotes before choosing a trader. A quote is binding, an estimate is not.
• Get written confirmation detailing what work has been agreed, the price, payment arrangements and start/finish dates.
• Never pay the total amount in cash up front, try to avoid paying large deposits and in all cases, you should keep back enough money to keep pressure on the trader to get on with the job and to finish it properly. Before you make any final payment make sure you are satisfied the work has been carried out properly and meets the terms of the contract.
• Ask for detailed invoices, get a signed receipt for every payment you make and keep all paperwork for your records.
• If you pay by credit card or the work is being financed by a credit agreement arranged by the trader, you may have extra protection as the lender is jointly liable with the trader for any breach of contract (if the work costs between £100 and £30,000).
• Be fair about completion: pay promptly if everything contracted for has been completed satisfactorily.
Further information on your consumer rights and advice on dealing with disputes is available by calling Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or by visiting the website at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.