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.Business Energy With a Difference
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Please remove the comment fromANDiE reference Mark J Pugh. Excellent builder, fully reliable not a scammer in fact the person writing these posts is using fake accounts everywhere this person has perused mr Pugh despite their advances being rejected. A sexual harassment case will be pending over this person. Only six slabs were left to lay when Mr Pugh decided he could no longer work there due to the unwanted sexual advances from the property owner. Please ignore this person! Lies ruin genuine peoples businesses.
True - 26-Feb-25 @ 2:35 PM
Robert Andrews, builder. Operated under the business names Verline Construction, Caden Construction and Korev Construction. Conned at least 10 families out of over £80,000 in 2024 alone. Be aware - also has a business called Plumforce London and Brushstrokes Painting and Decorating. Links in Great Dunmow. May also now go under the name Rob Andrews. Born in July 1981. Please do not allow him into your premises. Website coming soon with a full list of his unlawful tactics and fraudulent activity.
VerlineScamBuilder - 30-Jan-25 @ 1:07 PM
Dear EB. Please inform Trading Standards direct at mark.wilson@staffordshire.gov.uk 07969 268786. What Mrozowski does is pre meditated, it’s planned and I’m sure you understand what word is used for that.
George - 6-Sep-24 @ 8:12 AM
Avoid M J Pugh building services especially Marc Pugh. They have a face book page showing previous work that is not actually theirs. Mark told me his name was Jamie T Allen. he had me transfer over 6 grand to an account in that name, for materials for a complete garden renovation. Nothing was done and it turns out his name was Marc Pugh and he lives with his mother in Hednesford Cannock. He made excuse after excuse then got threatening with me when I left a review on his business page saying he didn't do the work. I know its my own fault has I should have known better than transfer money but that doesn't give him the right to rip me off, I live on my own and he has frightened me enough that I have had to accept what has happened.
Andie - 20-Aug-24 @ 1:26 PM
Avoid Anthony Mrozowki Dove Hollow Cannock. A total coke addict who will steal your money and not turn up. Loser of a man.
EB - 19-Aug-24 @ 10:46 PM
Anthony Mrozowski of 22 Dove Hollow Cannock Ws121NY is an undischarged bankrupt. I do not advise you give him your money as it will disappear up his nose. Unsatisfied County court judgements173MC386 £231 220MC241 £870 221MC796 £2,579 227MC023 £2,669 286MC449 £359 356MC130 £990 400MC414 £2,917 F2AA818R £1,153 296MC057 £924
George - 20-Jul-24 @ 5:39 PM
VERLINE CONSTRUCTION, ROBERT (ROB) ANDREWS, SOUTHEND, ESSEX - Claims to be in business 80 years however was only setup on Conmpanies House in 2024 by Robert Andrews who has had a string of construction firms in the last 10 year all open and close in a year or 2. including one forced in to insolvency. verlineconstruction dot co dot uk
We contacted them for some extension work and got a reasonable quote however something was off. They were quite aggressive when we asked for some details and told us 'don't question me. we're the experts mate, you don't worry'. This made me suspicious and when I started digging I found out a lot including several facebooks listing previous firms and naming the owner as rip off merchants. AVOID AVOID AVOID.
DrW - 7-Jun-24 @ 2:22 PM
Staffordshire Trading Stadards Mark Wilson mark.wilson@staffordshire.gov.uk and phone number is 07969 268786. Trish Caldwell trish.caldwell@staffordshire.gov.uk and phone number is 01785 277804
George - 18-May-24 @ 5:07 PM
THIS IS A P.S. Trading Standards found no trace of the company - this is because IT IS NOT WITH ANY GOVERNING BODY. He trade's from residential addresses & IS NOT A LEGAL TRADER.
Ich - 8-May-24 @ 5:47 PM
PLEASE AVOID 1st Quality Roofing Leicester, now based in Beaconsfield. DON'T TRUST THE 5 STARS they get the bad reviews deleted. VERY BAD experience. Man has attitude & is a scammer. Dislodged attic bricks, didn't install dry ridge system, said don't clear attics, left the ladders against the scaffolding, leaving my premises at risk. Suff in attic went 'missing'. Heavy rain dripped down inside walls onto electric wiring. Blocks your number & doesn't respond to solicitor - didn't realise, ex work colleague in a trustworthy position, was acquainted with him, till it was too late
Ich - 8-May-24 @ 5:01 PM
SHANE GREEN from Epsom appears to be friendly and helpful then when you ask him to complete the job as per the described and listed works he starts telling you he is a kitchen fitter and not a plasterer. He tired to stain block two large walls and told me its guttering when it was him who had no idea his plasterers used wrong material and for months told me he would fix then did not. Claiming to be on holiday and adding hundreds to Howdens order skimming everywhere and leaving the site in a mess.
New Kitchen & Plaste - 7-May-24 @ 6:02 PM
AVIOD H.LAING REFURBISHMENTS LTD - HALWAINE. He took a deposit did some works and took funds for material and the works upfront leaving me to trust him. He did not pay any of his sub contractors when he was paid. Got his stepson to do electrics when he was not qualified and left the place in a mess. DISHONEST man stole material and sold to me.
New Kitchen - 7-May-24 @ 5:59 PM
Avoid Anthony Mrozowski of A M Rendering in Cannock. he took our deposit and although he promises he lies and has not returned it.
He has been reported to the Inland Revenue to investigate his cash dealings He is an undischarged bankrupt and has a string of CCJ's. See other website posts.
Do not trust this individual he lies and makes promises he has no intention of keeping.
Avoid at all costs do not give him your money
Conned - 3-May-24 @ 10:33 AM
Avoid John Gilbert - +44 7976 406301, he took our deposit for our windows in 2023 and never delivered the goods.
He has since made false promises weekly stall us and to return our deposit but fails to follow through. Terrible guy.
Mac - 28-Apr-24 @ 12:46 PM
Avoid central roofing, based somewhere near tonbridge, Kent
Completes work but creates havoc in the wake, and transpires work not actually completed to a high standard
Hlb - 13-Apr-24 @ 2:31 PM
Anthony Mrozowski of A M Rendering is taking money and not doing the work. Yes there is a word for this behaviour! He is an undischarged bankrupt from 2016 and currently has 9 county court judgements. The money goes up his nose.
Beany - 13-Mar-24 @ 1:14 PM
Avoid Thomas O'brien of Empire Roofing and Guttering Ltd. He wakes you up very early in the morning. Over charges for the work. Will watch you if you are getting other quotes. Directs your conversations with your bank on the phone. Asks for all the money up front. Says he will do more work than you wanted in the first place. Although in my case this was true. Does not use a business account. Keeps on asking for more money to get the job done as soon as possible. But weeks later you are still waiting for him to get his contractors to do the work as they will do the work as he has not paid them and then you that you had not paid them. We are talking thousands. Brings into your home contractors who are also fraudulent. Takes your stuff away for weeks to say that the house has to be cleared for plastering and a new roof. But you don't know where it was taken. We have lost over £25,000 - £33,000. But only £6,000 of it was work that had been done. Keeps on saying contractors will be coming round to start the work but they rarely do come round. Very rarely gives a time as to when they will come round which they keep to.
H - 9-Mar-24 @ 10:43 PM
Avoid Thomas O'brien of Empire Roofing and Guttering Ltd. He wakes you up very early in the morning. Over charges for the work. Will watch you if you are getting other quotes. Directs your conversations with your bank on the phone. Asks for all the money up front. Says he will do more work than you wanted in the first place. Although in my case this was true. Does not use a business account. Keeps on asking for more money to get the job done as soon as possible. But weeks later you are still waiting for him to get his contractors to do the work as they will do the work as he has not paid them and then you that you had not paid them. We are talking thousands. Brings into your home contractors who are also fraudulent. Takes your stuff away for weeks to say that the house has to be cleared for plastering and a new roof. But you don't know where it was taken. We have lost over £25,000 - £33,000. But only £6,000 of it was work that had been done. Keeps on saying contractors will be coming round to start the work but they rarely do come round. Very rarely gives a time as to when they will come round which they keep to.
H - 9-Mar-24 @ 10:42 PM
Avoid Joseph O'Brien at all costs.He is a roofer who operates under Roman Roofing and Guttering Ltd and more recently Smartshield Roofs Ltd.He has been kicked off checkatrade for not adhering to their codes of practice following numerous negative reviews.He doesn't do what he says, he asks for cash payment (in the thousands), refuses to give you an invoice and when you do get an invoice it doesn't match what he has actually done.If you look on companies house he has applied to dissolve and strike off one of the companies after less than a year.That is because he is being chased for his substandard work and he is doing everything he can to avoid paying it.By moving all the assets out of the business and into the new one, no claim against the company will be successful because he will have stripped it.He is going to be a bodgit and scarper once he has your money and hasn't done the work.He also rings and is intimidating to get you to pay up.Joseph O'Brien - remember the name
rippedoff - 24-Feb-24 @ 11:22 PM
Avoid Billy Greenwood from CLG decorators in Cheltenham at all costs. His work is extremely amateur, will not use any form of masking when painting. Does not cover any floors or surfaces when painting. He gave us all the good talk about how he could fix up our bathroom and toilet, repairing the walls and covering up all the drip marks and ensuring they would not come back. Within a few hours of him leaving after completing the job patches of filler were showing through the paint and all the drip marks had come through the paint. He came back to rectify but just put more of the same paint over the top. The same thing happened again. After complaining again, he tried telling us that it was a problem with the house construction and the walls were letting damp in, then he tried to say that the paint he used was from a bad batch and we could have 60% of the bill back. We agreed to this but now Billy Greenwood is refusing to give us any of our refund and will not speak to us. The bathroom has been left worse than it was, as now not only do we have drip marks down the walls, the walls are different shades to each other and there is wavy paint lines around the windows, door frame and tiles which to sort out will mean replacing the silicon around each. We also spent days scrubbing paint off the floor, tiles, shower unit and bath which he had left everywhere.
If you live in the South West and are looking for a painter and decorator give Billy Greenwood of CLG Decorators a very wide berth. He is the biggest cowboy I have dealt with and not worth the prices he charges.
JV - 15-Feb-24 @ 3:18 PM
Avoid plumber colin halliday litherland liverpool took money for job didn't do it and refused to give money back at present on list to be taken to court for fraud
Top man - 2-Feb-24 @ 9:54 AM
A joiner by trade, Nathan T Kennedy carried out work for a pensioners and then stole from them. Avoid this tradesperson and let it be known so it cannot happened again.
Col - 12-Dec-23 @ 9:43 AM
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Doz - 7-Dec-23 @ 5:32 PM
Afternoon all. Please avoid VENTANA BLINDS and P.E. BLINDERS, which are run in the West Midlands, and surrounding areas as well as Peterborough. This is a well-known scam company, trading exclusively through Facebook. The individual running this “business” made violent threats against a customer and her disabled daughter when confronted about shoddy workmanship, resulting in the customer contacting the police and taking court action to reclaim lost funds. Others have been told lies - suppliers owing him £4k, several family members dying, recovering from an operation, and his card machine not working - so he’d asked customers to transfer funds to his personal account and never returned. The individual now lives in Coventry; but still trades in Peterborough too. This company has been reported to the Police, Trading Standards, local Councillors, Action Fraud, with customers taking court action against the individual. PLEASE AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
Winter2023 - 21-Nov-23 @ 2:12 PM
Hi all. Do not use/work for Harry Noble, trading as Harry Noble Contractors Brickwork. He owes my son-in-law over two thousand pounds in unpaid wages, Eight thousand pounds to somebody else who worked for him. Allegedly, he's even had his garage torched because he's upset so many people.His mobile number is: 07944 028 225, but nobody can ever get hold of him. The worst thing for us, his work is so bad, he's put pictures of my son-in-law's work on the internet and claiming it to be his!
Gibby - 12-Nov-23 @ 8:19 PM
James - JS ROOFING and BUILDING - located in Slough
I would like to pre-warn anyone contemplating using JS ROOFING and BUILDING operating out of Slough.
Under NOcircumstances should you allow James and his 'roofers' onto your property.
James operates a scam whereby you promote a small job needing doing through channels like Rated Tradesman and others.James arrives and promises you a quote. When your least realise it a number of tiles are removed (some broken on purpose and some simply taken down.) He then proceeds to inform you that your roof needs immediate attention. He prices up an extortionate amount and will badger you pricewise until an amount is reached.
You feel intimidated and concerned as you now have a gaping hole in your roof with
such issues that were never the case to begin with. Cheekily, he even states that the scaffold has already been paid and was able to get a good discount and preferred timeframe (Hence, you owe him money there and then)...Even if you are bold enough to stand up to him and decide not to proceed and request he put back the tiles that were never requested to be touched as you reiterate over and over that all you ever wanted was a quote. He then informs you that to put the tiles back will cost you.
DON'T ALLOW THIS COMPANY ON YOUR PROPERTY - Smooth talking and friendly to begin with, but tone then rapidly changes when requesting payments, if you are not forthcoming.
DEN - 25-Oct-23 @ 3:36 PM
Avoid Charlie Dash and Jimmy form UPon Thames Roofing. They are sub-standard and charge you for work they never did. Disappeared after they got paid. Always ask for a business card and verify their ID and telephone number
AN - 15-Sep-23 @ 2:39 PM
Avoid Simon Booth Bolton media walls stole money from the house didn’t complete job messed up electrics had to pay extra for plasterer and electrician to fix the mess
Karen - 11-Sep-23 @ 10:44 AM
Avoid no 1 swift home improvements, Newport, run by Scott Liam Scott Colsell liam colsell he has ripped off my extremely ill and vulnerable nan today. Refusing to return her money despite entering the property illegally
Lianne Downham - 21-Aug-23 @ 4:54 PM
Stuart Ainsworth of JBM Groundworks Ltd based in Lancashire. Save yourself money, misery, poor standards and dishonesty. Started drainage and groundwork job in the garden. Noticed major faults but these guys just wanted their money. We lost out on a large deposit and a mess in our garden! No morals or decency!
IRYY - 3-Jul-23 @ 5:12 PM
