It can always be stressful letting a stranger into your house. Whether it be for personal or business reasons, you all of a sudden gain a heightened sense of things – did I clean everything? Did I leave anything embarrassing lying around? Are they judging the house already?!
This slightly awkward sensation will only get worse if the person you have invited in is there to carry out work. Be it plumbers, electricians or decorators, you’ll now have a new worry to throw into the mix – are they ripping me off?
Daytime TV is awash with programmes about so called “Cowboy” traders, like “Rogue Traders” and “Don’t Get Done, Get Dom”. These are tradespeople who set out to intentionally rip off consumers with shoddy work, “band-aid” solutions to bigger problems, over-charging for minor work, or by “taking the money and running”, with no means of contact after the job has been done.
So how can you avoid such traders if you are installing, maintaining, or removing a fireplace or stove? Well here are some guidelines.
Be Clear
Before you even begin searching for a trader, write down exactly what needs doing. If you are doing work of your own free will (redecorating), where you know all the specifics, then write them down exactly. If you are doing something that you have a firm grasp of, like knocking a wall through, but you aren’t entirely sure of all the specifics that come with it (is the wall load bearing, etc.), then write down everything you know for certain.
If it’s something you have no idea about, or you are experiencing problems you can’t fix yourself, then a vague idea will suffice for now. You are kind of relying on the trader to be honest with their work in that final situation, but hopefully these guidelines will filter out the bad ones.
Don’t Use Door To Door
Not to tar every door to door trader with the same brush, but you have to ask why they have time to knock around when they could be working. They’ll try to tempt you with “today only” deals and promises that they can get to work “right away”, but you always run the risk that they might come in, get the job done, and then leave you with shoddy work and a false contact number. It’s unfair on the honest ones, but you denying them work is just one door out of hundreds they will try that day.
Comparison Sites
In this situation, the internet is your best friend. Comparison sites like Top Tradespeople work to separate the good from the bad. As customer reviews, positive or negative, effect everything on the site, it is in a company’s best interest to work hard to satisfy their customers. Any bad jobs are likely to come back to haunt them.
Once you have selected a few companies, get a quote off each. If they are all vaguely similar, that is likely a good sign, but conversely, it can help you spot any overinflated prices. From there on out, it is really up to you who you trust.
Agree Job In Writing
Before work starts, agree to the job in writing. Map out everything that needs doing, and nail down the price. Then, if anything isn’t up to scratch, you have something to dispute any claims from the trader. Also, work out a payment strategy that keeps at least 25% of the overall money in your hands until after the work is completed and up to your standards.
And don’t forget – if they do a good job, return the favour by giving them a good review online. That way, you are not only doing your good deed for the day, but also helping others avoid getting ripped off!
