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Cllr James Clayton, the council’s executive member for safety in the community, said:
"Now the better weather’s arrived, homeowners across North Somerset might be looking to carry out home improvement projects. Unfortunately, there are dishonest people out there who’ll seek to exploit this.
“Rogue trading can be devastating for victims, affecting people’s physical and mental health as well as causing financial distress and potentially damaging properties. By ‘rogue trading’ we’re particularly talking about those who exploit consumers’ vulnerability or lack of knowledge for example by inflating their prices as the job progresses, demanding large sums of money in advance, quoting for jobs that are either unnecessary or beyond their competence, threatening people and not providing cancellation rights where those are appropriate.
“We’re committed to ensuring fair and safe trading here in North Somerset. People can protect themselves and their loved ones from rogue traders by following some simple advice.”
North Somerset trading standards has issued the following recommendations to help people protect themselves from scams:
- Beware of doorstep traders: reputable tradespeople and builders often have long waiting lists. Be cautious of traders who arrive unannounced and claim they can start work within days. Also, be wary of traders who offer one service but then suggest they can undertake unrelated work - for example, gardeners offering to repair leaking roofs. Do not be misled by professional looking business flyers or impressive looking websites - these can easily be set up by rogue traders to appear legitimate.
- Exercise caution with online trader platforms: while online platforms can be convenient, not all listed traders are thoroughly vetted. Recent reports have shown rogue traders exploit these platforms, resulting in financial losses for consumers. However, there are two not-for-profit organisations which can help: ‘TrustMark’ which is government-backed, and ‘Buy with Confidence’ which is Trading Standards approved.
- Be careful on social media: avoid posting requests on social media asking for tradespeople or builders. Rogue traders frequently respond to these posts.
- Avoid hasty decisions: be cautious of traders who pressurise and want immediate decisions or offer deals that seem too good to be true. Genuine professionals will provide time to consider options.
- Get multiple quotes: always seek at least three quotes from different traders. This helps ensure a fair price and allows you to assess the reliability of potential service providers.
- Seek personal recommendations: ask friends, family, or neighbours for recommendations of reputable local businesses. Personal referrals often lead to trustworthy and high-quality workmanship.
Anyone who has concerns about a trader or who believes they have been a victim of unfair trading practices should contact the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or by visiting the website at www.citizensadvice.org.uk.
The consumer service offers free, impartial advice and North Somerset trading standards has access to the database to monitor patterns of rogue trading behaviour.
The photographs show example of poor work carried out by rogue traders:
- A wooden skirting board which should have been mitred at the angle so the two pieces of wood butted together. Instead a sealant has been used to fill the gap - abysmal carpentry skills
- A roof with tiles laid wrong, resulting in a wavy pattern. The ridge tiles have not been screwed in place and as a result the end caps do not fit correctly This roof would not be watertight and would probably be dislodged in strong winds.
