Cowboy builders

What should you look out for?

• He knocks at your door and has a polite, friendly but insistent manner while selling his services.
• He is "working in your area and noticed that your drive/roof etc needs urgent attention".
• His vehicle may look businesslike, with a yellow flashing beacon and/or "MOTORWAY MAINTENANCE", "TARMAC" or a company name emblazoned on it.
• He sometimes quotes a low price without a thorough survey of the work "required".
• He tells you that he's got some tarmac, or other materials, left over from another job.
• He says that the work is very urgent and he'll do it straight away.
• He does not give you a schedule of work to be done, "You can trust me".
• If there is any paperwork, there is either no address at all, or something vague and fictitious, e.g. 'Our Steet, Any Town'.
• There is usually only a MOBILE phone number sometimes not even that. Generally their mobile phone numbers don't work after a few days/week or two.

If you believe that a tradesman has misled you ......

It may be about the condition of your home, or about the cost or extent of repairs. He may just have done very poor quality work. In any case ring your local Trading Standards Service for advice on what to do next and tell us it may help us catch 'rogue' traders and protect other people.