Suspect it¸ report it! Rogue Trader Awareness Month

Suspect a rogue trader? Then report them. That’s the message Shropshire County Council Trading Standards Service is promoting during Rogue Trader Awareness Month

The service has also issued a warning to householders about contracting for home repairs at the doorstep. Problems with this type of work continue, the latest reported to the service being incidents in Oswestry where dubious trading practices have led to concerns about roofing work. Whilst anyone can be the victim of a doorstep trader, in most cases, it is older people who are targeted and this has generally been the case in these incidents.

These latest incidents have occurred during Rogue Trader Awareness Month, and follow “Operation Rogue Trader”, a targeted day of action in May. Shropshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service together with many other local authorities, several police forces and Consumer Direct were amongst the key agencies across the Midlands who were involved in the operation. All agencies held the day to be a success. It involved co-ordinated, intelligence led activity including dawn raids and roadside spot checks on vehicles.

Within the Midlands alone, over 300 traders were inspected by the authorities – over a third of which failed to comply fully with the law. In the most serious cases, traders had failed to inform consumers of their rights to cancel their contract, others had been found to make false statements in contravention of the Fraud Act 2006, and some had failed to give the correct business details. Throughout the day a total of six people were arrested, and will be subject to further investigation, three raids on addresses were carried out, over 1100 vehicles under went ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) checks, four vehicles were seized and further investigation into offences of tax evasion are ongoing.

David Edwards, Shropshire County Council's head of Trading Standards, said: "The multi agency approach to tackling rogue traders means that we have many more eyes and ears to help stop the criminals that often target elderly and vulnerable people in their own homes. The public can help us in this fight to reduce crime and if anyone suspects that a rogue trader is operating in their area, we are advising that they contact our partner organisation, Consumer Direct, on 08454 04 05 06.

"The Midlands is leading the way on tackling bogus trades people who's work is often unsatisfactory, extortionately priced and can be unsafe. By participating in Rogue Trader Awareness Month, throughout June, we are hoping to educate and advise consumers before they have any work carried out on their properties. Prevention is better than cure - by people spending a little more time before having work done, they can often save a lot of time, money and heartache in the long run.”

John Hurst-Knight, Shropshire County Council's Cabinet member for waste and economy, said: "With the warmer weather upon us, doorstep crime tends to increase. People are more likely to have home improvement work carried out and whilst there are reputable trades people around, there are also a number of rogue traders that people need to look out for.”

The Trading Standards Service advises all consumers to follow these guidelines when obtaining services for work to their homes:-

• Do not buy from traders who call at your house. Not many reputable businesses have to go door-to-door to get their work.
• Shop around and get written quotes from a number of traders before agreeing to have work done.
• Preferably use a trader who you know has carried out a good job for a neighbour, relative or friend.
• Check if the trader is a member of a trade organisation.
• Never pay the full amount for work in advance. However, it is reasonable to pay a small deposit. Be wary of traders who reduce the price as a means of persuading you to pay for work as soon as it has been completed.
• Wherever possible, try and avoid paying cash. Pay using a cheque or credit card. If the work is worth more than £100 the credit card company will be liable for any breach of contract.

Further advice and information on how to find a reputable tradesperson in Shropshire is available from the county’s Traders’ Register, which can be accessed by following the link on this page or by contacting Shropshire County Council’s Customer Service Centre on 0845 678 9023.

Further information

CEnTSA is a regional Trading Standards group incorporating Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Herefordshire, Sandwell, Shropshire, Solihull, Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, Telford & Wrekin, Walsall, Warwickshire, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire. Consumer Direct West Midlands works in partnership with these 14 Local Authority Trading Standards teams across the West Midlands offering clear, practical consumer advice via the telephone helpline service and online resources.

Operation Liberal' is a Police Consortium, made up of 43 Police Forces nationally. Across the East and West Midlands it includes the following constabularies: West Midlands, West Mercia, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire. Distraction burglars or bogus callers generally prey on the elderly - the typical victim is aged 81, female and lives alone - and often these victims are left seriously traumatized by the experience. In a bid to tackle the problem, an initiative “Operation Liberal” was set up in 1998 by Derbyshire Police.

Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service, managed by the Office of Fair Trading and delivered working in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards. It provides clear, practical, impartial advice to help resolve problems and disagreements with suppliers of goods or services.

Consumer Direct has around 350 trained advisers in 11 centres based in the West Midlands, London, the South East, the South West, the East of England, , the East Midlands, Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West, the North East and Scotland. The information and advice helpline is available on 08454 04 05 06 from 0800-1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900-1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.

Traders’ Register is administered and promoted by a steering group made up of the Trading Standards Services from Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin together with Anchor Trust Staying Put, West Mercia Police, Shropshire Customer First Points, Telford and Wrekin Home Improvement Agency, Age Concern Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Environmental Enforcement Team. Over 200 home improvement businesses are on the register and traders wishing to join the scheme can do so by visiting www.traderregister.org.uk or by calling 08453 303313.

Legislation requiring a written notice indicating the right to cancel is The Consumer Protection (Cancellation of Contracts Concluded Away from Business Premises) Regulations 1987, as amended. The Regulations take effect for work that will cost more than £35. The trader must issue a written notice indicating the right to cancel the contract within 7 days. Failure to issue such a notice is an offence.

12 June 2008