Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council has released a statement warning residents to be vigilant after receiving several reports of rogue traders operating in the area. The council states that traders have been cold-calling elderly residents and pressurising them into having their roofs repaired at an extremely overpriced rate.
To keep the community safe from being cheated out of pocket, the council has suggested that residents remain on guard if they are contacted by traders on their doorsteps. The victims of rogue traders and cowboy builders could result in shoddy or unnecessary work being carried out for a fee that could break their bank balance.
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As it can be daunting when deciding on who to trust to carry out expensive and intricate property work, the council has offered the following advice on how to spot a rouge trader:
• Pushy Sales People – they may offer cut price home improvement services such as roofing and guttering repairs.
• Can use scare tactics – they may state that the work is urgent, Deliberately cause damage when assessing the work.
• Have insufficient tools and equipment for the work to be undertaken.
• Will commence work immediately and remove structures from the house(slates/guttering etc) which acts to further increase the pressure to pay for the work.
• Demand large amounts of cash upfront – they may insist on driving the customer to the bank to get immediate payment.
• Increase the price – often done as the job progresses or commence additional works without authorisation.
• Give the impression they are a legitimate company – They will have their trade name on their vans/paperwork along with telephone numbers/email addresses but often do not provide a geographic address or will provide an address that does exist but does not link to the business Ultimately they do not want you to know who they are but will give the impression that full Company information is being provided.
In a statement, Blaenau Gwent Council wrote: "Blaenau Gwent Trading Standards have received reports of rogue traders operating in the area who have cold called elderly residents and pressurised them into having roofing repair work carried out which is grossly overpriced. Please be on your guard, we advise not to enter into contracts on your doorstep or with traders you have not requested to attend your property. If you feel that you need to have works completed use recommendations from friends and family and obtain three quotes prior to commencing any works. Remember if something appears too good to be true it usually is.
"If you think you’ve been cheated, are concerned about a trader or have any doubts call 101 or Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133."
If you have been a victim of cowboy builders in the Bleanau Gwent area, and would like to have your story told, contact angharad.thomas@reachplc.com.
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