Rogue traders, you have been warned! We've reported many incidents of rogue traders in the past leaving their clients with shocking work after selling them false promises. It's now time to not only name and shame them on the first ever Tradesmen Blacklist, but hopefully it will make people think twice about going with someone who doesn't quite seem to hold all necessary qualifications to carry out the given work. We expect an increase of awareness for people out there looking to avoid these rogue traders and we think it's well overdue!
The Police and Trading Standards have been working together to crackdown on rogue traders and agressive door sellers. With their being far too many reports of related cases, the two held a national day of joint enforcement labelled 'Operation Rogue Trader'. After combining forces, they were able to identify 708 individual offences, which lead to 19 arrests and the seizure of 39 vehicles as well as saving consumers nearly £5,200. (Source: Trading Standards, November 2018).
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Pretty scary figures...
...now compare that to the amount of cases since the beginning of time! It's quite suprising how a blacklist doesn't already exist! Prior to it's launch, there wasn't a single trusted source of rogue traders that was available to the public and thinking about it now, what a great idea.
As it stands, there are over a 1,000 names that have been recorded on the Tradesmen Blacklist with many more soon to be added. Homeowners are invited to reported rogue traders online which can be found here. A great feature of the blacklist will also allow users to simply search it's database for any convicted tradesmen as part of a background check when looking for tradesmen. This includes convicted murderers and rapists.
The list has been created by PropertHeads.com and the CEO had a few words to share on the matter:
“We are appalled that so many homeowners are being ripped off by rogue traders and want to help. Quite simply reputable companies do not doorstep for new customers and homeowners would be well advised to avoid those that do.
It is widely accepted that the best way to engage a reliable tradesman is by word of mouth. But how can you possibly know which of your friends and colleagues has used a reliable tradesman without asking all of them? And why is it that traditional tradesman review websites are built around anonymous reviews?
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PropertyHeads.com addresses both of these issues as it shows users the reviews from people they already know and trust when they search for a tradesman. This is great news for the consumer. Not only do they easily get reviews, they can also attribute to a friend, or colleague. It makes the process of referencing and inspecting tradesmen’s work that much easier too. It’s also good for genuine tradesmen, as they are able to grow their businesses by word of mouth.
Three things struck me when we put together the Tradesman Blacklist. Firstly, rogue tradesman will go to extraordinary lengths to mislead their victims including faking their own cancer and using vehicles with government agency sign-writing. Secondly, even those with seemingly reputable backgrounds – we have several ex Police and military in our Blacklist – are capable of awful crimes. And third, the sheer number of victims involved.
If our Blacklist helps just one homeowner avoid being ripped-off, then we will have done a good service.”
Do Your Own Research!
It's essential that the public are doing their own research when hiring a tradesmen to carry out work. Check what Construction Training Courses they say they've undergone and what qualifications they say they hold. This new blacklist will also play a massive factor in selecting the right tradesmen for you! Remember guys, be cautious and do your research! And to any rogue traders out there...be very careful!!