Last year Trading Standards received around a thousand complaints about traders employed by homeowners in 2006 – the most complained about subject. Many of the issues that arose may have been resolved if individuals had followed our pre-shopping advice by: 

• Obtaining multiple quotes – the cheapest is not always the best.
• or obtaining a recommendation from family or friends.
• Use a trade association member.
• Keeping written records of correspondence.
• Beware of cold callers at your front door.

In response to a clear need for help, Trading Standards has introduced two schemes for Cambridgeshire residents. For those who are either over 60 or have a learning or physical disability, there is the Registered Trader Scheme. Traders in this scheme are carefully monitored by Trading Standards and have a Criminal Records Bureau check before being allowed to join. For more information about the scheme please contact Age Concern on 01353 696677 or Trading Standards on 01954 284619.

For everyone else, we strongly advise that you follow the approach outlined above. 

If you cannot obtain a personal recommendation, then websites exist to help you. Rated People (link opposite) is such a site and allows you to post details of the work you want carried out, obtain multiple quotes from previously rated traders and negotiate the scope, specification and payment for your job via email exchange which provides that all important written record. Finally, Rated People prompts you to rate your trader to let others know how well they have performed. This approach provides significant protection for you as a consumer and helps to weed out those traders who produce a poor quality of work or let their customers down in other ways.