Tradesmen Reviews

Never believe these reviews. I have a trusted builder, but if I need anything else I ask on my local NextDoor site for recommendations. Usually the same names come up several times as good workers.

You could take it further and get bailiffs involved if you feel strongly enough about it.

Take out a warrant of execution This gives court bailiffs the authority to seize goods from the defendant's home or business to sell at auction. There is a fee to pay (you will need form N323), which will be added to what the defendant already owes.

What happens is that the bailiffs usually send the defendant a letter saying he or she must pay up within seven days. If they don't, the bailiffs will call at the address you gave. Be careful if the address is a company's "registered office" – there may be nothing there.

Almost 300,000 warrants of execution were issued in the civil courts during 2008 but, overall, creditors got back only 18% of what they were owed. Where creditors specify the correct address, this success rate soars to 83%. Bailiffs can only take goods that belong to the defendant or are jointly owned, and they can't take items he or she needs for their job or business.

If the court heavies return empty-handed, and you are sure the defendant lives at the address or you have tracked down another address, you can use another form, N445, to ask the court to reissue the warrant (naturally, there is a fee to pay for this).

Sadly that is the problem with our ‘justice’ system - law is not the same as justice and if anyone defies the system for long enough they will get away with it. I recall a time I was trying to enforce maintence payments (as a last resort via attachment of earnings) the judge chastised my ex, saying ‘children cannot live on air’ and then set a figure the ex must retain from his salary that guaranteed I would be c£200 a month short of what she had decreed the maintenance should be. Then we have the police, who refuse to prosecute a fraud despite indisputable evidence and full knowledge of where the perpetrators live...

I don't trust these sites I'm afraid. We had some work done, badly, but when I contacted the trade directory that he advertised in they weren't really interested. And all those wonderful reviews? Friends and family,lying through their teeth!

angelah my sympathies. I did a google and here is a link for future trusted tradespeople via Age UK (was Age concern) www.ageuk.org.uk/services/in-your-area/handyperson-services/
But you could always call your local Age UK office and speak to an advisor on this and any other issues that cause us all problems from an annoying niggle to downright terror and sleepless nights (Im thinking of another sad post from the soon to be widow worrying about finance ). As always this site a font of good advice and invisible friendship and support.

Has he got a facebook page? Sometimes social media can help.

I also use Nextdoor because it is local people who put forward other locals names. I prefer to use a trades person who does not live that far away from me.

Have you tried putting negative reviews on Trustpilot and Reviewcentre?
Trustpilot usually prints them, unless it is a company that pays them not to, as was revealed by Radio 5 live investigates.
Hand it over to the bailiffs.
I used a "local" locksmith with a telephone prefix similar to mine.
After I had been ripped off, the locksmith asked me which number I had phoned. He needed this info so that he could pass on the commission to the correct person.
The Consumers Association, ( Which ) have their own lists of trusted traders recommended by readers and members.

We used a tradesman to install our boiler, from a recommendation. The reason we used him was because, in his estimate, he clearly stated that the boiler would be guaranteed for 7 years, instead of the usual 5. All went well, yearly services etc, until we tried to get a repair under guarantee. After much twoing and froing and digging, the company eventually told me that although we had been registered under the 5 year scheme, we were not on their system for the 7 year guarantee. On further investigation, it appears that the installer was only registered as one of their recognised, and accredited installers, two years after he had done the work for us. We have now had to take out an insurance plan. I don't know what we can do, as it seems he was wrong in stating, on his headed business stationery that he offered the extended guarantee. (Also illegal really). Our friend who recommended him, did not know the state of affairs about his accreditation either, but has moved away.

On a recent consumer tv programme the investigators registered themselves on one of these well-known recommendation sites. They set up a fake business in order to do so. They were surprised to find that no-one checked up on them in any way. When confronted, the owners admitted that their checks were not done on many applicants, because of the time and expense.
As others have said, it is better to make local enquiries, especially recommendations from friends and neighbours.
Finding good tradesmen has always been a bit of a lottery, I'm afraid.

Don't feel bad, we've all fallen foul at one time ir another. Years ago, I was given 1yr of free buildings insurance with a mortgage, and was burgled while still in storage boxes. They refused to pay because my broken door 'didn't fit properly'. Too narrow? Too short? No, it was a few millimetres deeper than the frame. The hinges and lock all fitted properly. I got stung.
My advice to Angelah is go for personal recommendation.

Angelah
How many of us have been in your situation.I have come to the conclusion one has to see for oneself a persons work not a review. But who does. Too many cowboys and if their work is of a good standard then surely they would welcome this .

Thank you everyone, it does help to share. This is my first experience of feeling a useless old woman.
Our justice system does not seem fit for purpose when the sums involved do not justify the expense of a solicitor. My judgement is for £650, to me it is a significant sum but it's a year now and I am trying to tell myself that it is the cost of a holiday I could not have and to reduce my stress levels I must let it go.
I have been unable to get a summons served, this man knows far more about it than I do! He told me early on that he worked with bailiffs implying he knew how to avoid them. I know I can pursue this again while the CCJ is in place.
I read in the newspaper within the last month about the number of small claim failures. Not surprising if my experience in anything to go by!

What a shame you had such a begative experience Angelah I ve used the tradesman sites on two occasions and both times had excellent trades people, so they can work and contrary to others experience I used a window cleaner found on a social media site with loads of good comments and recommendations and he proved a bit of a conman claiming I hadn’t paid him when I had and never coming on the date we agreed to ( never seen him again)

I think the only real way is through known and trusted friends

anjelah I cannot see any the connection between your problem and feeling a useless old woman. You employed a poor tradesman after checking reviews. You took him to court, but will only get your money if you send in the bailiffs. People of every age do that every day. DD had to see off a painter and decorator who did shoddy work - and she was only 40.

Old people become weak and helpless because they start thinking the way you have. Get yourself out if that way of thinking as quickly as possible.

Should have said 'exhausted' perhaps! 'useless old woman' should be kept for the times you can't find your specs.

I too was ripped off through a TrustedTrader site , I wanted my gas fire servicing and found a local gas engineer with glowing reviews , he quoted me £50 to service fire , on arrival he removed fire from fireplace and slapped a do not use notice on it , said it needed a new part , he returned a week later , after me chasing him , with a small piece of tape , then said he needed to come back two days later to reinstall fire as he did not have time to do it then, he did come back after two days and put fire back , all of a five minute job, then asked me to pay him in cash , £140 as I gave him the money he just laughed at me and said he was going on holiday the next day and I had provided his spending money.
I would never use anyone from a TrustedTrader site again.
Since I lost my husband I have noticed that when you are a lady on your own you are seen as a " sitting duck " to be ripped off or taken advantage of.

My DS dealt with the 'sitting duck' problem very well. She bought a rundown house and was having a new kitchen and bathroom installed and chose and specified what bath she wanted very carefully.

She came home from work to find the builders had installed a very similar bath, but not the one she wanted and had done much of the tiling. She noticed immediately and refused to compromise and insisted that they remove all the tiles, take the wrong bath out, put the correct bath in and re-tile with her carefully chosen and expensive tiles, All done at their expense. The rest of the work was done to specification and standard.

I found a tradesman from a well known trade "check" website

we were not able to supervise the work fully unfortunately due to the circumstances but at the end the finish looked fine and he went OTT promising us free future top ups to the work, discounts on future jobs then asked us to review him (on the spot) which I did.

well it didnt take long for the finish to fall apart because none of the underlying work (which we paid for) seemed to be done....no worries though he did say call any time for free repairs...so we tried to contact him (for the first time since our positive review) to find out he had ALREADY BLOCKED OUR NUMBER.

it was all a performance to get our review, and the website were not hepful re allowing us to remove it!!

DO NOT TRUST THE BEST KNOWN TRADE CHECK WEBSITE

its a tool for cowboys

When I wanted our drive redoing, I contacted three local firms with good reviews on a trusted traders site. All three turned up to see the job. One gave a verbal quotation but put nothing in writing, another would not quite but kept ringing to pester me, we went with the third whose paperwork was good. We were happy with the work, though when we tried to make contact for him to come back and seal it, after three weeks, free extra he had verbally promised, he never came. Actually I decided it might make the drive impervious( rightly or wrongly) so I left it. A year on I think the drive is less level than it was, but ......I am not going to pursue it.
But whose re reviews can you trust? On our local Facebook group page, people are always asking for and making recommendation, but I guess they will be coming from their friends and family, so I am not sure whether they are any good.
I found my window cleaner when I happened to spot him cleaning next door. He does a decent job and lets me know when he is coming. I have never seen his name recommended on the local Facebook page though!

local facebook pages is 90% people recommending thenselves or their friends I find

OR asking for fake recommendations for themselves as stealtg advertising (youll notice these as the request is too specific:
eg "hi all, does anyone know of a dry cleaners that opens late on Wednesdays, specialises in purple satin cleaning and is walking dustance from X road? thanks"
Cue 20 morons all falling for it and advertising their place for them

"stealth"