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Rogue Traders
Posted on 23/08/08
Following an increase in calls about rogue traders this summer Consumer Direct East Midlands is warning residents to be on their guard against traders who cold call offering to carry out property repairs.
Since May, Consumer Direct East Midlands has seen a 28% rise in calls about uninvited doorstep traders. Last year, the advice line noticed a similar surge in calls over the summer months, receiving the most calls about rogue traders in August and September.
Many of the calls to Consumer Direct East Midlands are about problems with driveways, roofing, damp proofing, guttering and gardening work. Complaints range from shoddy and unfinished work to escalating costs from the original quote and high pressure, intimidating sales tactics.
Sara Barry, Consumer Direct East Midlands Manager said: In the current financial climate people may be considering making improvements to their home rather than moving. We want to ensure that people avoid rogue traders and dont get ripped off.
Consumer Directs advice is never to agree to work on the doorstep. Instead ask friends and family for traders they would recommend and try to get several quotes. I would urge anyone who is experiencing problems with a trader to call Consumer Direct for advice.
Consumer Direct has these tips:
- Dont be persuaded into any work after being cold called.
- If you do need work carried out to your property make sure you get quotes from two or three reputable traders and compare them.
- Ask for recommendations from friends or family and make sure you check the trader out thoroughly.
- Be wary of traders who only provide a mobile phone number and do not give landline telephone numbers in adverts or flyers. Also look out for traders who do not give the proper name of the business and a full address. It can be difficult to track them down if you need to contact them again.
If you need help to resolve a problem with a trader, or want to report a rogue trader call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06. People can also contact Consumer Direct for advice before employing a trader to minimise the risk of things going wrong.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In 2007 Consumer Direct East Midlands received more than 5,000 calls about doorstep selling.
Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service funded by government and managed by the Office of Fair Trading. It operates in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services to offer consumers clear, practical and impartial advice and information.
Consumer Direct has around 350 trained advisers in 11 contact centres across England, Wales and Scotland.
The information and advice helpline is available on a single national telephone number - 08454 04 05 06 from 0800 1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900 1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.
A Welsh-speaking Consumer Direct service is available on 08454 04 05 05. Minicom users should call 08451 28 13 84.
Calls to the Consumer Direct 08454 numbers are charged at no more than four pence per minute from a BT landline. Call charges from other landline providers or mobile phones may vary. Please check the rate with your phone service provider.
Northern Ireland has its own service called ConsumerLine (available on 08456 00 62 62) which is similar to Consumer Direct.
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