Brits sticking up for relatives in disputes with cowboy builders

Almost one in ten Brits (9%) has had to help a relative out after they got involved in a dispute with a tradesman, with cowboy builders exploiting vulnerable people and performing shoddy work some of the most common causes of grievance.

This is according to a poll by AA Home Membership, which found that poor quality work was the most common cause of dispute between tradesmen and relatives, cited in 35% of instances.

Other common problems were:

• Recommending unnecessary work (11%)
• Pressuring people into work and not letting them back out (10%)
• Taking advantage of vulnerable people when the complainant would have preferred to organise the work on their behalf (10%)
• Expensive quotes (9%)
• Thinking relatives could get better deals from different tradesmen (6%)
• Tradesmen without appropriate qualifications, such as Gas Safe Register ID, or without a portfolio of work (6%)
• Tradesmen damaging relatives’ property (5%)
• Simply not trusting the tradesman (3%)
• The work taking too long to complete (1%)

So if your relative experiences a boiler breakdown or any other home emergency, then you need to use a specialist you can trust! Rogue tradesmen are a scourge on the profession and the whole UK, but it’s the vulnerable who are particularly at risk, as they can find themselves needled into paying for expensive, unnecessary building work and repairs that never even get done.

Head of AA Home Membership Helen Brooker said a lot of people are “wary” of allowing strangers into their home and letting them perform expensive and substantial work, and worry that their elderly parents could be seen as an “easy target”.

What to do if you are in a dispute with a tradesperson

1. First, you should speak with the tradesman to see if they can put things right, especially if the dispute relates to the quality of repairs.
2. If the work is of such a low quality that you believe it can’t be put right and you don’t think you should owe the tradesman anything, then take legal advice.
3. You may be able to reclaim any money paid to a tradesman if you paid by credit card.
4. If the tradesman is part of a trade body, the trade body may accept complaints or run a dispute resolution service.
5. Trading Standards and the Health and Safety Executive should be informed about dangerous work.

Top quality repairs with 247 Home Rescue

We vet all of our engineers and tradesman, ensure they are properly qualified and competent, and investigate all complaints thoroughly, so if you have boiler cover, appliance cover or home emergency cover with us, you can rest assured that all repairs will be completed to the best possible standards.