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Reporting An Unreliable Tradesman

By: Tracy Whitelaw - Updated: 22 Oct 2020 | comments*Discuss
 
Reporting An Unreliable Tradesman

It can be financially and emotional crippling when you realise that your hard-earned cash has been wasted on a rogue tradesman. As the number of 'have-a-go' tradesmen continue to rise in the UK, there are a number of reliable firms popping up that offer advice and help on choosing a reputable tradesman when you need work conducted on your home. If you're unfortunate enough to be one of the people who do end up involved with a rogue trader though, you need to know where to report your grievances in order to ensure nobody else is conned by them.

Talk to the Tradesman First

If things go wrong when you're having work carried out by a tradesman, the first step to try and resolve any issues is to speak to the tradesman. Always give them the chance to put it right and make any complaints known to them initially. Many tradesmen will take this opportunity to try and rectify the situation, as they won't want their reputation being harmed. If you feel that the tradesman isn't listening to your concerns, put them down in writing and give him a deadline. Send the complaint letter to the tradesman's head office, assuming there is one, but remember to always keep a copy of what you sent and when. If you find that there's no resolution through this means, the next step is to report your tradesman.

Citizen's Advice Bureau and Trading Standards

One of the most common places to report an unreliable tradesman is at your local Citizen's Advice Bureau. They will be able to give you advice on your legal status with regards to the work and also whether you may be able to make a claim against your tradesman. They may also be able to offer you some kind of conflict resolution or mediation, so they're definitely worth visiting and can give you advice for free on most occasions. Another possibility is to report your tradesman to Trading Standards. Trading Standards are specifically interested in protecting the rights of consumers against businesses and in ensuring that businesses are within the law and delivering what they promise. You can contact your local branch of Trading Standards and they will give you advice on the next step regarding your unreliable tradesman. They can often provide you with contact details for trade associations or advise on what the best course of action is for you to resolve your dispute with your tradesman. They may even investigate it themselves and keep you updated on the situation.

Reporting to a Trade Association

If your unreliable tradesman is part of a trade association, then you should be covered by their code of conduct. If speaking directly to the tradesman doesn't work, contact their governing body and ask for advice. They will want to uphold the standards of their association so will be keen to investigate anyone they believe to be unreliable. Normally, a trade association will speak to the tradesman on your behalf as well as offer you some kind of arbitration service to try and come to a resolution. They can also get the tradesman back to work if they've left the job unexpectedly. This is one of the reasons that it's important to check your tradesman's credentials before agreeing to any work being carried out - if your tradesman doesn't have a trade association backing him, you're putting yourself in financial danger.

Online Sources and Unreliable Tradesmen

Another option when it comes to reporting unreliable tradesmen is to use the multitude of online resources to warn others about their poor service. Websites such as TradeCheck or associations like TrustMark welcome information about poor tradesmen as they will make sure they spread this knowledge so others can avoid them. A new service from search engine AskAlex has also been introduced where individuals can run an immediate check on businesses to ensure they're reputable. The service is set up in conjunction with Dun & Bradstreet and will cost a mere 7.50GBP to obtain. It will give consumers a star rating for a business, full contact details, any criminal history, profit figures and an overall judgement of the business. This method should be used to avoid rogue tradesman initially, but can also help in your reporting of any unreliable tradesmen. If you do suffer problems with your tradesman, make sure you report them as early as possible - helping other avoid them can at least give you some peace of mind.

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do not use Westyorkshire kitchen fitters. thrones industrial estate wakefield. they left my kitchen in a proper mess. very poor standard of work. it cost me a lot to correct their mistakes.
stuart seeyounexttue - 22-Oct-20 @ 10:56 AM
AVOID DIMENSION ABBAS BUILDERS BASED IN LEICESTER. We had kitchen extension and bathroom done with the above. Shoddy work as water leaking on roof, tiles have come off the floors. They haven't completely finshed the job. Not returning my calls or messages. Avoid at all cost!!!
Anna - 21-Oct-20 @ 10:39 AM
Never use Penny Lane Builders Liverpool likes to bully pensioners, kitchen extension complete nightmare job not finished, floors left uneven had to go out and buy half the stuff ourselves, left live wires hanging from ceiling for days, lies constantly and even argues with the clerk of works from the council. If you want your build doing right first time DO NOT contact these jokers.
Nikki - 9-Oct-20 @ 9:47 PM
Do not give Terry Hughes and Mark Jones (both at THConstruction) any deposit money as they will take the money and not-show for the job. This is what they did to me having taken £200 and not shown for the job. This leaves me with taking them to the 'Small Claims Court' and reporting them to the Police because what they have done is 'Theft'. A criminal offence.
BF - 7-Oct-20 @ 12:06 PM
Do not have warren miller or Spence his partner from gloucesterto do your build mine been done for a year kitchen extension night mare have had to have floor taken up damp which they covered up keep awaynot answering any phone calls or text which been send stay clear
Nanna - 2-Oct-20 @ 10:09 PM
Do not have warren miller or Spence his partner from gloucesterto do your build mine been done for a year kitchen extension night mare have had to have floor taken up damp which they covered up keep away from them
Nanna - 2-Oct-20 @ 10:04 PM
Do not useDean Brightwell he walked off with my money did not do the job,what work he did do was a complete disaster, had to get someone else in to finish off. This bloke lives in Coventry keeps changing his company name as TS are after him. Put some really bad feed backs on his page on LinkedIn he was so fed up with this he actually gave me back some of my money but still owes me he is a thief.
Chris - 28-Sep-20 @ 8:40 AM
Do not use a company called 'Kyte'. I had them do a landscape job for me. They quoted me £7,300, however this quickly escalated to £11,300. They advised me that the job would take between 7-10 days. After 9 weeks the job was nowhere near completed. They often arrived extremely late and at times did not arrive at all. When they did turn up, they spent most of the time on the phone and talking to eachother. They cover Harwich, Clacton and Colchester area.
dave - 25-Sep-20 @ 3:37 PM
JLD building and refurbishment in Hastings is the worst builder he left my work and took my moneydo not get thisman for ur job he is a cowboy builder
bes - 24-Sep-20 @ 7:06 AM
do not use JLD building and refurbishment he is a scam just gave him.1000 did one day work made messand now is not coming he block me on fb and my phone number do not he is from Hastings
bes - 19-Sep-20 @ 9:15 PM
Don't trust Sun Valley Roofing and Property Maintenance (Bristol). Flashy CheckaTrade page, van, etc., but stole the lead from our roof and did a poor job. Currently being criminally investigated by Trading Standards and the police for fraud and pressure selling. Their address is in Bristol on their site but is actually an Irish traveller site in Winterbourne.
J-lo - 19-Sep-20 @ 2:19 PM
Keep well away from David Gillespie (Flat Roof King) from Kelty in Fife. He owes us £8000. We have paid him £18000 and generously calculate that he has used £12000 of this and after 10 weeks of work we found ourself with a half finished unsafe structure. We have had to employ another builder to finish the work... which now looks fantastic. We plan to begin legal proceedings and ensure that his doesn’t do this to anyone else.
louise - 18-Sep-20 @ 3:13 PM
Oakes direct ltd Wolverhampton. Do not trust this company. Not qualified to carry out kitchen installation. Not qualified to touch gas or electrics or plumbing He is a smiling assassin. Or in other words a con man and a coward. All his reviews on his pages are too god to be true He ripped us off by £950 Be warned and stay clear...see other reviews on my builder and facebook before hiring him. He is a bad diy man pretending to be a tradesman. Thanks for reading and good luck if you ever meet him
Lid67 - 16-Sep-20 @ 8:29 PM
DO NOT USE ANY SERVICES RELATING TO ARIEN HOUSE. ROBERT STREET. ROCHDALE. OL16 2DG SCUM, RATS, THIEVES, TAX EVADERS GIV NG DODGY RECEIPTS. SHOWING BLAG DOORS THAT YOU DON'T RECEIVE. MOHAMMED ASIF- OWNER. SMART RANGE KITCHENS PLUS OTHER BUSINESSES WITHIN THE SAME ADDRESS. AND OTHERS
The Boss - 9-Sep-20 @ 3:16 AM
DONOT EMPLOY ANYONE WITH THE NAME MICHAEL RYLANDS, HE WAS SUPPOSE TO START WORK AT MY SONS PLACE, 2 WEEKS AGO, HE HAS HAD £2,316 OUT OF HIM, AND HAS ONLY PROVIDED US WITH 7 DOORS, PROMISED TO COME EVERY DAY BEEN EXCUSE AFTER EXCUSE.I HAVE FOUND OUT SINCE HE HAS CONNED ALOT OF PEOPLE,PLEASE PLEASE AVOID AND GET HIM PUNISHED.
Debs1960 - 6-Sep-20 @ 6:10 PM
Do not have anything to do with two tradesmen Gary rry & Micheal, they have done work for myself & not finished off on 5 jobs, weather was bad so said they would return, nearly 7 weeks later nothing. Phoned both of them many times, promised to call & sort, phone you 2morw to discuss once spoken to the other one, nothing. It looks as if I will need to get someone else in to finish jobs. Gary is a stocky man with short grey hair & Micheal ginger, gift of the gab, promises you the world but does not do it & Irish. Take me for a ride so please be careful.
Sparky - 31-Aug-20 @ 12:30 PM
Do not use handyman, Anthony Gutierrez, Columbia SC. Not reliable yet says can do. Poor workmanship, talks good game yet not honest. Cuts every corner possible if not watching constantly. Never know when he’ll arrive. claims extra money needed for supplies. May not see him once he gets enough money that he thinks worth his time & leaves you ‘stuck’. Disaster & extra cost to get fixed.
None - 27-Aug-20 @ 7:32 PM
Criminal prevention services CCTV Wrexham. 07858231081, Mike. Do not use as his wiring connection was done with tape. The cameras stopped working and he ignores communication. One cable was unsecured over the roof! Beware
Ldog - 27-Aug-20 @ 4:35 PM
T Cosgrove plumbing Clarkston doesn’t answer then phones aggressively wanting to know why I’ve phoned!! Waste of space
Anonymous - 26-Aug-20 @ 10:36 AM
Please don’t use Anthony Gilbert roofing!! Took money and 8 months later water still pouring in, and never heard from again. Claims to have done the roof but did one side and left the other ..
Kernow - 19-Aug-20 @ 7:44 AM
David Kelly, of Reading. Will stab you in the back to make a few quid. Very un-neighbourly, 2 faced, and inconsiderate.
Matt - 19-Aug-20 @ 2:23 AM
My daughter has had extension done from a cowboy builder and is going through a divorce, she has when it rains water running down her inside walls and electric lights, she has two children youngest daughter is 5 years old,  my daughter is a key worker and though this terrible situation she is suffering with Anxiety, she's been left alone with a leaking roof and the whole extension has to be taken down and rebuilt, she needs this extension for her children, giving her more room in her home, this situation is dangerous because of the water running down electric. I'm her mother and I am extremely worried about the damage its coursing and the pain mentally.  Whole extension is completely wrong and no safety. The stress much daughter has with this dangerous building work is making her ill and unable to live in the extension. Cowboy builder won't repair his dangerous building,  my daughter doesn't have the money to repair it all, extension has to come down,  professional has told her, she's in a terrible situation with no money for it and winter is on its way,  water has already ruined her furniture and she has been told it will get worse, I'm so worried about water running on electricity, light switches, ceiling lights.  Youngest 5 year old keeps asking why there is water running down the walls. Any help would be really appreciated. My daughter is a proud person,  I am extremely worried as her mother and grandmother,  for their safety,  I have no where else I can turn to, I'm unable to financially help them, which really upsets me. Any help would really help. The whole extension has to come down and rebuilt.
Tammy - 18-Aug-20 @ 12:44 PM
Dont' use Demoway Construction from Ashford. Builders from hell. The job was supposed to start on Monday. I received a text message on Monday morning confirming skip, digger and workers will be in at 8:30. Nobody turned up, no messages to advise of any delays. The traders arrived on Tuesday and spent the whole morning in their van until the digger arrived around 2, at 4 they were gone. Skip didn't turn up till Wednesday. Early in the morning they came and emptied a van load of dirt from another job on my drive. Skip was still on my drive a week later while they were chasing me for payment without even sending an invoice. I had to call them back 3 times to get them to do pointing and straiten the edging. Broke numerous slabs that I paid for and just chuck them in the skip I asked them to cement the plug for the rotary drier, they broke the dust cover. They broke the neighbor fence post and refused to fix it or replace it claiming it was rotten and had nothing to do with them, despite promising multiple times that the fence will be fixed before they leave the job. They left a mess behind I had to clear, spent more time on the phone talking than working, and rushed to another job leaving poorly pointed joints, one of the edging sticking up higher than all the rest, a badly put together step and a patio that ends 4 inches away from the fence, so they didn’t have to cut any slabs. They refused to finish the job, totally dismissed my complaint, came to take pictures in my absence and without my permission and intimidated me into paying by refusing to leave until they got paid.
Elyanne - 18-Aug-20 @ 11:57 AM
Don't use Emergency Plumber Daniel Holden of Keswick in Cumbria! His charges are outrageous and he makes you sign papers to pay £180 per hour before he even looks at the job. That is on top of £90 call out. Intimidates you to pay immediately with a card payment only accepted. Turns aggressive if thinks you are'nt happy.
Dooley - 16-Aug-20 @ 7:18 PM
Do not use H&L Building and Landscaping Ltd in Wigston/Leicestershire. The Director took our money to buy supplies which never turned up and then kept our money after we told him we no longer wanted him to do the job. Lee Paul Smith is the Director, he has stolen money from several people and done very poor work for a number of others.
J. - 15-Aug-20 @ 11:34 AM
Don't have anything to do with a Dean Brightwell he took most of my money ruined the job in the first day does not know how to build Lego,let alone building work bugged off and never seen him again. So had to get another builder to repair what DB did and complete my job properly
Chris - 10-Aug-20 @ 8:57 AM
Please don't use J C fencing and ground works based in Harrow, Hayes and Bushey area. Owner name Jay / John. They have started my garden work and asked for advance payment for materials and since he has received money he stopped answering my phone calls and never returned to work. He left big mesh behind and now we have to find another company to finish this work.
Bi - 7-Aug-20 @ 8:17 AM
Renish Builders out of afton okla dremodeled my bathroom Horrible tile job Everything they did was messed up Everything!
Bel - 4-Aug-20 @ 5:46 PM
Avoid Devotional Property Care in Brigg (North Lincolnshire). A relative of mine recently had a roof repaired by them and it was done to a very low standard indeed. So much so that the roof failed and let in rain water again only 2 months later (we had a 12 year guarantee). We tried to contact them through their website but they never anser the phone. Their address is registered as 1 Westrum Lane, Brigg, North Lincs which we found to be a fake address. However, Not too far away from that address is a Westrum Park which is an industrial estate full of caravans. We traced the business there. And guess what? Yes, they are travellers. We contacted trading standards who stated that there was not much chance of getting them to come back and next to no chance of getting the money back. The owner of Devotional Propery Care is a Mr Nathan James Wilsher. So be warned people. A lot of roofers out their are using false addresses to get your business because they are travellers and only want your money.
Stephen - 1-Aug-20 @ 1:33 PM
Please don't employ Prestige Home improvements. Owner Michael Gavin did a terrible paving job. All being replaced by a professional company who were appalled by the poor workmanship. All paving in sand/soil when lifted to investigate As a result paving had sunk. They came back to relay originally but not with hard vase underneath. The people who assessed were horrified. You have been warned.
Jilly - 1-Aug-20 @ 11:55 AM
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