Doing home improvements is always a costly, somewhat stressful exercise. Whether it is the endless noise, dust, or seemingly endless streams of people walking in and out of your house, it can be a trying time.
What could make it worse, however, is working with a tradesman who is unaccredited, unqualified, or simply out to scam you.
Fraudsters posing as tradesmen are common-place globally, and prey on their victims with a variety of very well-thought-out methods. They primarily target older people as well as women as they are a more vulnerable target group. Otherwise known as door-step criminals, bogus tradesmen usually call on a home in person, offering their services for a good price. Their tactics include pressure selling, unfair contracts, overpriced goods, and services or even non-existent home repairs.
The statistics of this type of fraud are shocking and gravely concerning. In one case, an 88-year-old woman was defrauded out of £72,000 for building services that were not actually done. People over the age of 65 make up 85% of the targets for these types of criminals. However, it could happen to anyone. We took a look at how you can go about finding the right tradesmen to do the job on your home renovation.
Look at Reputable Sites
One of the first places that you should start looking for someone to do the job is online. If someone comes calling at your door, or cold calls you about maintenance work, you should think twice about hiring them. There is a very high chance that this person is a fraudster and the risk is simply too high to take. Rather, do your thorough research first.
There are a number of sites like YourJobCost.co.uk that list accredited and qualified tradesmen. In most cases, the professionals have to register with the site, and should any malpractice happen, they are instantly removed and blacklisted. Not only are you more likely to trust these contractors, but you can also compare prices and work and pick someone according to your unique needs.
Go on Other People’s Reviews
Usually, you can trust a professional that has rave reviews from other customers and clients. It is worth your while to check out their website or social media pages to see what other customers have said about them and their services. You can find reviews and their rating at the top of the Facebook Business page. Make sure to read more than just one or two ratings, and take the average commentary from what people are saying. You have to keep in mind that there are always going to be a few individuals who are simply never satisfied, so don’t make your mind up on just one rating.
Word of mouth is also a highly effective way of being referred to a trusty tradesman. In fact, research shows that 74% of people agree that word of mouth is one of the most powerful influences in them making their decision to purchase or hire. In fact, word of mouth drives around $6 trillion dollars worth of revenue world-wide and is a powerful and underrated marketing and trust tool globally. So, if your cousin has had a great experience with a contractor, you are most likely to have a similar experience.
Check with your Local Council or Trade Associations
If you are concerned about the validity of a tradesman, you can refer to official sources to confirm their listing. Your local government is certainly one of the most credible sources of information and will have all of the approved tradesmen listed for you to confirm or pick from. It is as simple as finding your local councils website from the gov.uk site and searching under your county’s council for the right listing. You can either search ‘approved traders’ or ‘trading standards’ which leads you to a council department that makes sure companies don’t break the law when selling to customers.
You can also go onto the relevant associations’ sites to verify a listing there. All trades should be listed and recognized by an association as they usually set specific standards to be listed and approved by them. Search on the trade association forum website for the relevant association and then search their members. You will be able to identify the relevant company from there.
Consider Your Options
In order to make a conclusive and informed decision, it could be worth your while to pick a number of tradesmen and weigh up the pros and cons of each. List all of their accreditations, reviews and if you can, interview each one of them to get a personal feel about each. Request quotes and compare each quote to each other to ascertain a good average costing for the project.
A good tip to remember here is to not always choose one for the ridiculously low pricing. This is a classic trick of a fraudster to wow you with a bargain and get you to sign. Secondly, don’t be forced into signing anything until you are completely comfortable and happy with your choice. This is another trick used to tie people into contracts that they don’t want to be in. The next thing to look out for is a large deposit or upfront payment; that screams fraud! Lastly, go in knowing what the ball-park figure would be to do the project. Know roughly how much the materials will cost, and how many man-hours it would take to complete the project. This way, you will be able to spot any suspicious figures on the invoice and avoid signing.
Last Thoughts
It is so easy to fall prey to fraud that it could really happen to even the most savvy and careful person. Fraudsters are sly, convincing, and adaptable. They know how to stay ahead of technology and authorities and are always adapting their methods to stay out of the spotlight. In order to stay ahead of them at all times, and to keep yourself protected, you should do your thorough research before handing over wads of cash or penning your signature on any contract. Do not allow yourself to be intimidated, and if you are threatened by one of them, contact the authorities right away.
