Forget sun, sand and sea. For many, this summer will be all about skips, cement and the builder’s drill. For those planning home improvements, the key question will be where they can find a reliable tradesperson.
Some 45,000 people called Citizens Advice last year seeking help with their home improvement and maintenance problems, and the Federation of Master Builders estimates cowboy contractors cost the UK economy £10bn a year.
So which of the websites that vet traders should consumers turn to?
On this commercial site, traders pay to quote for jobs posted by customers, who can then leave feedback about them. The identities and qualifications of traders who apply to join are verified, and data analysis tools are used to check they have not been banned in the past and that the reviews are by genuine customers.
Traders must demonstrate their technical knowledge and professionalism, and 40% of applicants are declined. They do not pay to join, but are charged between £2 and £38 to quote for a job.
Negative feedback is published immediately and flagged up to customer services. Traders have the right to reply, and a decision about whether to suspend their membership is made within 72 hours. “We get threatened with legal action all the time by traders, but we don’t bow into pressure to remove bad reviews,” says Peter Wellock, head of customer service.
Another commercial site where traders pay to quote for jobs and the qualifications of those who apply to join are verified. Rated People speaks to every trader by phone or in person before they apply. One out of every four are blocked by its screening process, which includes fraud and credit checks. Those accepted typically pay £55 plus VAT per month on average, which allows them to quote for a limited number of jobs. Negative feedback is published immediately and flagged up to customer services.
Between five and 15 of the 90,000 jobs posted per month end in a dispute, says chief executive Celia Francis. “Often, the tradesperson will fix the problem and the customer will take the review down.” Sometimes, customer services will refer both parties to a mediation service, which costs each of them £25. The ultimate sanction is removal of membership.
A commercial directory of 29,000 vetted traders who pay a minimum of £70 plus VAT per month to be listed. They have to pass a face-to-face interview and provide a minimum of five references. Qualifications and public liability insurance are examined, and background and identity checks carried out. All traders must agree to a code of conduct and allow Checkatrade to talk to Trading Standards about their work.
Customers can review work online or via a Freepost postcard. Negative feedback is published within five days as long as reviewers give Checkatrade permission to contact the trader about the complaint. The tradesperson will then be allowed a right to reply and encouraged to put things right. The website may also decide to remove the trader from its directory.
This is a non-profit, government-endorsed scheme intended to raise standards among tradespeople. Registered firms that are members of 32 recognised trade bodies and scheme operators, which have been vetted by TrustMark, can pay £40 a year to display its logo and be listed on the website. Currently, around 12,500 businesses are on the site.
Traders have to sign up to a code of conduct and undergo background checks on their identity and business. They will also receive an on-site inspection at their place of business and at a site where they have carried out work.
Work quality is checked by an expert, so users do not need to rely on reviews from other customers, says chief executive Simon Ayers. Those with complaints will be able to take up their issue with the trader and their scheme operator.
An independent, not-for-profit directory of 3,550 vetted traders, run by Trading Standards and supported by 56 local authorities. Only those who have been trading for at least six months may pay £125 plus VAT to apply to be listed. A Trading Standards officer will then audit the business. Background and financial checks are done to look for criminal convictions. Previous customers are randomly selected for references, although the work is not inspected.
The website has access to a Trading Standards database and can check traders aren’t generating complaints to Citizens Advice, says the directory’s operations manager, Rachael Holden.
Any claims traders make about their business or qualifications are verified. Only traders who pass this audit and have a complaints procedure can join.
Wanted: a quote from a gardener in Cambridge
Which site works best? All five were tested with a search to “refresh my garden” in Cambridge so that costs could be compared.
No one on MyBuilder wanted to quote and only one Rated People gardener, who was not affiliated to any scheme and did not list any qualifications on his website, offered a quote but wanted to visit the garden.
When called, he said he charged £180 a day for labour and was available to start in two weeks. When the job was not offered to him, he called back two hours later to stress he had “bought” the job from Rated People. He had 15 five-star ratings out of 15 possible reviews.
The Checkatrade directory gave details of two firms within five miles that had been given feedback in the past month. Both had more than 50 reviews and scores of 9.8 and 9.9 out of 10. The first refused to give a quote without visiting the garden, but promised a gardener would then be available to do the work within two weeks. The second quoted £350 per day for two people’s labour, but was booked up until September.
On TrustMark, a trader who was a member of the Association of Professional Landscapers, the Horticultural Trades Association and Buy With Confidence quoted £320 to £350 per day for two people’s labour over the phone, but said he was booked up until early next year.
The closest Buy With Confidence landscape gardener, who was a member of the Gardeners Guild and the Countryside Management Association, and a Green Flag Awards judge, said he was too busy to take on any work until next year.
Visiting all five directories, reading the reviews, checking out individual websites and qualifications, and making phone calls took well over an hour but achieved little. In the end, it was a relief that a landscape gardener was not needed after all. The ideal trader would have been both a member of TrustMark and Buy With Confidence whose work had been inspected by an expert in their field, as well as being a business approved by a Trading Standards officer.