EL Magazine SEPT-OCT 2018 PAGETURNER

Home & Garden
Fair Weather Pests
Over the summer months, Trading Standards sees an
increase in complaints about rogue traders calling at
consumers’ homes.
Protect yourself from losing your money and suffering
unnecessary stress:
Cold calling – established and respectable businesses
rarely cold call for business. If you are interested, take
their card, research the company and get quotes from
other businesses before committing to work.
Very cheap service – the trader may be amateur,
inexperienced or not know how to price a job
properly. As the costs of the job increase he may cut
corners or ask you for more money. Do your research
and remember the saying, ‘If it sounds too good to be
true, it probably is!’
Always ask for a quote - legitimate traders should give
you a quote, while rogue traders may be less willing –
as they may not do what they have promised. A quote
is a fixed price and once agreed must be adhered to.
An estimate is an educated guess about the costs of
the work; it is not fixed, so could go up.
Contact information – if the trader does not provide
contact information, such as a geographic address,
he may not wish to be contactable after poor
workmanship is discovered.
Payment – if you pay cash in advance the trader could
leave without finishing (or even starting) your job. A
legitimate trader should not ask you to do this.
Protect yourself – use a trader with third party
approval, like Buy With Confidence, Which? Trusted
traders. The schemes vary, so select one which offers
some intervention should things go wrong.
Claire Kendall, Trading Standards, Milton Keynes
38
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