Rogue Traders on TV tonight.
Discussion
I just watched Rogue Traders that was aired on ITV. It was about roofers, which is my trade, ripping old people off.
Discraceful behaviour if you ask me, these dodgy tradesmen give our trade a bad name. Personally I don't think it's worth ripping anybody off as your firm will get a bad name and in return your work will dry up. Well, it would in a small town where I live.
It goes without saying that it's morally wrong also. :angel:
Has anybody here been a victim of rogue traders?
Discraceful behaviour if you ask me, these dodgy tradesmen give our trade a bad name. Personally I don't think it's worth ripping anybody off as your firm will get a bad name and in return your work will dry up. Well, it would in a small town where I live.
It goes without saying that it's morally wrong also. :angel:
Has anybody here been a victim of rogue traders?
I think the dodgy ones close down after they have fleeced the local market then start up again with a different name either locally or even in the same town. They often quote mutliple names of the same company on those programs, I even remember Esther Rantzen doing the same on her old show.
I think that getting any tradesman in nowadays is a bit of a tricky business. I'm lucky, I stumbled across a builder when I first moved area and he's been fantastic to me; we've become friends and he brought my recent renovations in on time and 3k under budget. I don't get anyone in to do anything on the house without asking his advice first.
All sorts of things make you vulnerable to ripoff artists - being new in an area, being old, being a numpty in their field, or being desperate.
But you've got to be pragmatic as well - some people expect the world without having to pay for it. The night before last, my patio door wouldn't shut when I was on my way to bed. No way - nothing could budge it. A bit of a worry because there's not only the obvious issue of my personal safety, but the new plasma telly and cinema system in the living room waiting to be carted off (uninsured because the house isn't secure). I propped a load of noisy stuff up against the door and primed the neighbours. Yesterday morning I got the yellow pages out and called a UPVC repair chappy. He came out 15 miles from the nearest town (same day), spent about 40 minutes fixing it, and went back and all for £55. I thought this was a bargain but my neighbour said I'd been ripped off. Sometimes I wonder what people think it costs to run a business
I suppose the lesson I learned when I moved away from home and all the people I knew was that if you find someone decent, always be crystal clear about what you want done, don't be too tight about price negotiations, and pay on time.
All sorts of things make you vulnerable to ripoff artists - being new in an area, being old, being a numpty in their field, or being desperate.
But you've got to be pragmatic as well - some people expect the world without having to pay for it. The night before last, my patio door wouldn't shut when I was on my way to bed. No way - nothing could budge it. A bit of a worry because there's not only the obvious issue of my personal safety, but the new plasma telly and cinema system in the living room waiting to be carted off (uninsured because the house isn't secure). I propped a load of noisy stuff up against the door and primed the neighbours. Yesterday morning I got the yellow pages out and called a UPVC repair chappy. He came out 15 miles from the nearest town (same day), spent about 40 minutes fixing it, and went back and all for £55. I thought this was a bargain but my neighbour said I'd been ripped off. Sometimes I wonder what people think it costs to run a business
I suppose the lesson I learned when I moved away from home and all the people I knew was that if you find someone decent, always be crystal clear about what you want done, don't be too tight about price negotiations, and pay on time.
I always tell people to do their research before they employ anybody. The best form of research I've found, is to ask the neighbours.
I also have zero sympathy for anybody who thinks they can save a few quid by employing 'roofing Bob' from the corner of the bar in the pub. They deserve to lose their money for being bloody greedy.
I also have zero sympathy for anybody who thinks they can save a few quid by employing 'roofing Bob' from the corner of the bar in the pub. They deserve to lose their money for being bloody greedy.
parrot of doom said:
I also have zero sympathy for anybody who thinks they can save a few quid by employing 'roofing Bob' from the corner of the bar in the pub. They deserve to lose their money for being bloody greedy.
people try and employ Roofing Bob from the corner for the exact reason that some of these builders are greedy and rip you off.
Are you saying that people on minimum wage should not try and get a good deal? or should you just get the bloke who charges the most?
Recommendation is the best bet, but even that is not bombproof. I had a 'recommended' plasterer in to do two small walls. He estimated 1.5 hours and £60. He actually took 5 hours, including a trip to the local Builder's merchants, and opened the taps after disconnecting the bath waste so I have a stain on the kitchen ceiling. I had a nagging feeling he'd try for £250+, so when he said £100 I was quite relieved.
After he'd gone I put a long spirit level on the wall and realised his plastering was rubbish - much of the time he'd been building the wall forwards 2cm at the top!!
After he'd gone I put a long spirit level on the wall and realised his plastering was rubbish - much of the time he'd been building the wall forwards 2cm at the top!!
pesty said:
I also have zero sympathy for anybody who thinks they can save a few quid by employing 'roofing Bob' from the corner of the bar in the pub. They deserve to lose their money for being bloody greedy.
people try and employ Roofing Bob from the corner for the exact reason that some of these builders are greedy and rip you off.
Are you saying that people on minimum wage should not try and get a good deal? or should you just get the bloke who charges the most?
No. What I'm saying is that a job costs a certain amount of money. If you try and get the job done more cheaply, you're not going to get done whats required, and therefore have no right to complain.
Like I say to anybody who buys an old house, and then skimps on spending whats required to restore it to its full glory - "you can't afford it, move out"
It's so sad that these scum get away with this sort of thing year after year, I think most are quite likely to be pikeys which is probably why they are untouched (I could compare this with how the car driver (and bike) is persecuted and given instant fines and now are threatened with car confiscation).
groucho said:
Has anybody here been a victim of rogue traders?
Oh yes.....
Blocked drains, which we share with our neighbours... called out the standard "Drains cleared fast" type company.
They turn up, and jet the drains to clear the blockage, and then conduct a CCTV survey of the drain.
They find what looks like the remains of an old fashioned draining rod about 15 metres away from the inspection cover, and about 5 metres away from the property boundary.
They inform me that the drains will block again unless this bit of rod is removed.
They then arrange to dig up the neighbours drive, remove the bit of rod, and make good the driveway....at a cost of £850. The scare tactic they used was that if the rod moved any further down to the boundary, they would have to dig up the road to get to it, and started quoting figures in excess of £3.5k
Foolishly, we agreed to let them do the work in the neighbours drive.
They turned up on the following day, started digging in the drive, and a couple of hours later, told me that the rod had now moved, and was on the boundary, and they would have to dig up the road.... the price had now gone up to £4.5k because they would need to arrange for traffic control on the road.
At this point, I said "No chance" and called in the local water authority.
The water authority turn up, and before doing anything, tell me that because the drain is shared, and the property was built before 1936, then the shared drainage is THEIR responsibility, NOT ours! - Apparantly, according to the water board, any drainage contractor would be aware of this , and should point it out to their potential customers
They then CCTV'd the drain again, reached the point where the original firm had dug up and replaced the pipe after finding that the rod had moved.... and told me that the original pipe was still fully intact and had never been touched.
The CCTV went on to show that the rod HAD moved to the boundary, but could easily be removed by putting a nozzle on the jetting system that blows water backwards, and basically blasting the rod backwards up to the inspection hatch.... which then promptly did in the next ten minutes.
When the first firm demanded their £850, I refused to pay, and ended up in court.
Court found in my favour, as my defence was that I refused to pay for a company to dig a hole, and then fill it in again (which is precisely what they had done) They claimed that they had replaced part of the pipe where the original blockage occurred, but I produced a VHS of the CCTV survey that the water board took, showing the original pipework still intact.
What annoys me, is that i still see the vans around locally for this company, presumably using the same tactics on others.
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