‘Customer reviews can help people make a final choice’

AFTER reading this supplement, you now know what the Trusted Trader scheme can offer consumers – but how do you make the final choice?

Citizens Advice has published some general guidance to help customers to make an informed choice.

It recommends you should be careful about dealing with tradesmen if there are some tell-tale signs of cowboy traders.

Things to watch out for include anyone who offers incredibly cheap estimates, as this could signal someone who is not experienced enough to give accurate figures.

You should also be cautious about anyone unwilling to put a quote in writing.

Also be wary if they are unwilling to provide references or if they will not give details about their business, including an address or landline number.

One of the biggest indicators of a firm not being all it seems is how it deals with payments.

If a company will only accept payment in cash, that could indicate it may be acting dishonestly by saving on paying VAT.

Other signs include being too keen to start the job immediately – cowboy builders often do lots of work in one area before moving away, leaving behind poor or unfinished work.

If they claim to be part of a trade association, always check they are telling the truth.

Each review also has space for the customer to describe the service in detail, so you can look to see if the firm really has experience of the kind of work you need.

Businesses can add up to six images of their work beside any customer reviews which are only published with the customer’s approval. This means you know these really are genuine photos of the work done by the business.

Now we know what the site can offer you, what do traders think of the scheme?

David McGregor, owner of Tayside Aerial Services Ltd which supplies TVs, aerials and satellites both commercially and for domestic purposes, said: “I started the business more than 20 years ago and the way that people get in contact has completely changed.

“We get many more people looking online and hearing about us through word-ofmouth recommendations.

“As we get recommended a lot we knew we wanted to get on the scheme.

“It enables people to go online and see all of our reviews from our customers which really helps people when they are making the decision.

“People often say they found us through the scheme, so it really is a great service.”