2008
Consumer Direct Scotland received more than 1500 complaints about builders, plumbers, electricians, decorators and other home improvement traders in the first three months of this year totalling almost £6 million.
22nd April 2008
During that period, concerns about home maintenance and improvements accounted for the highest number of calls to the government advice service.
In total, Consumer Direct Scotland advisers logged 1546 home maintenance complaints, a 25% increase from last year, and the total value of these complaints rose by almost £600,000.
Complaints about building work amounted to more than £1.8 million, closely followed by fitted kitchen complaints also at £1.8 million, and fitted bathroom complaints reached almost £800,000.
Gordon Macdonald, Consumer Direct Scotland manager said:
'There's no foolproof way of avoiding problems, but you need to do your homework before you embark on a project, agree clear terms with the trader, and if things go wrong, check your rights and take prompt action.'
Consumer Direct Scotland has the following tips for people carrying out home maintenance or improvement projects:
- Ask friends and neighbours for recommendations or look for traders who belong to trade associations approved by the Construction Licensing Executive created in 2002 to regulate the construction trades in Scotland.
- Alternatively, look for local authority assured trader schemes managed by Trading Standards Services. Details of those authorities who are members of the Local Authority Assured Trader Scheme Network are available on the OFT website at: www.oft.gov.uk/oft_at_work/consumer_initiatives/trader/network-members
- Shop around and ask for at least three written quotes (rather than estimates) before choosing a trader.
- Get a written contract covering the work, the price, payment arrangements and start/finish dates
- Never pay the total amount in cash up front, try to avoid paying large deposits and in all cases, you should try and keep back enough money to keep pressure on the trader to get on with the job and to finish it properly. Before you make any final payment make sure you are satisfied the work has been carried out properly and meets the terms of the contract.
- Ask for VAT invoices, get a signed receipt for every payment you make and keep all the paperwork for your records.
- If you pay by credit card or the work is being financed by a credit agreement arranged by the trader, you may have extra protection as the lender is jointly liable with the trader for any breach of contract (if the work costs between £100 and £30,000).
- Be fair about completion: pay promptly if everything contracted for has been completed satisfactorily.
Mrs Weir from North Lanarkshire employed a company to install a ramp outside her house for disability access in October 2007. During the winter faults started developing with the ramp "crumbling". Mrs Weir called the company and they agreed to come back and rectify the work although failed to do so.
At the beginning of April the work was still not rectified and Mrs Weir contacted Consumer Direct Scotland for advice. Mrs Weir was advised of her rights under the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 (as amended) and Common Law in Scotland to receive goods of a satisfactory quality and have the work carried out with reasonable skill and care and within a reasonable time. Mrs Weir called the trader with this information and the next day the trader came and repaired the ramp.
Further information on consumer rights and advice on dealing with disputes with traders is available by calling Consumer Direct Scotland on 08454 04 05 06 or by visiting the website at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.
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| Complaints to Consumer Direct about home maintenance and improvements - January 1st to March 31st, 2008 | Total numbers of complaints | Total value of complaints |
| General building work | 201 | ££1,842,842.00 |
| Fitted kitchens | 313 | £1,828,550.00 |
| Fitted bathrooms | 208 | £794,766.00 |
| Roofing | 179 | £419,929.00 |
| Central Heating (inc installation and servicing) | 248 | £349,635.00 |
| Tarmacing and paving | 42 | £165,339.00 |
| Replacement doors | 113 | £125,126.00 |
| Plumbers and plumbing | 97 | £94,902.00 |
| Electrical services and installations | 34 | £83,200.00 |
| Guttering | 20 | £37,421.00 |
| Damp proofing | 7 | £29,521.00 |
| Wall coating | 25 | £26,283.00 |
| Fascias | 7 | £18,180.00 |
| Decorator services | 25 | £16,603.00 |
| Burgalar alarms | 12 | £5,753.00 |
| Solar heating | 1 | £3,838.00 |
| Insulation | 14 | £888.00 |
| Home Maintenance and Improvements Total | 1546 | £5,842,776.00 |
Editor's Notes:
1. The value attributed to each complaint is the total price paid for the goods or services and does not represent the amount of potential consumer loss.
2. Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice service funded by government and managed by the Office of Fair Trading. It operates in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services to offer consumers clear, practical and impartial advice and information.
3. Consumer Direct has around 350 trained advisors in 11 contact centres across England, Wales and Scotland.
4. The information and advice helpline is available on a single national telephone number - 08454 04 05 06 from 0800 – 1830 Monday to Friday, and 0900 – 1300 Saturday, excluding bank holidays and public holidays.
5. A Welsh-speaking Consumer Direct service is available on 08454 04 05 05. Minicom users should call 08451 28 13 84.
6. Calls to the Consumer Direct 0845 numbers are charged at no more than four pence per minute from a BT landline. Call charges from other landline providers or mobile phones may vary. Please check the rate with your phone service provider.
7. Northern Ireland has its own service called ConsumerLine (available on 08456 00 62 62) which is similar to Consumer Direct. Visit the ConsumerLine website.
MEDIA enquiries: Jean Mackenzie 01851 822306
