Date: 25 September 2006 21:44

TOP TIPS TO KEEP COWBOYS AT BAY IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Concerned Trading Standards officers are targeting cowboy workmen who have 
left residents with showers plumbed in upside down and washing machines 
giving electric shocks.

 Now to help stop other residents falling foul of cowboy tradesmen 
Cambridgeshire County Council Trading Standards has released some important 
top tips.

Most people at some time or another will employ a tradesman to carry out 
home improvement work. Unfortunately Trading Standards regularly receives 
enquiries from Cambridgeshire residents when things go wrong.

Complaints have included a shower being plumbed in upside down, a washing 
machine that gave an electric shock and a £12,000 kitchen that was paid for 
but didn't turn up.

To reduce the risk of your project going wrong there are some important 
steps that people can take to help choose the right tradesmen.

* Ask family and friends for recommendations of local traders.  If this is 
not possible, ask the trader to give you the names of previous customers and 
follow them up - ask questions - Did the workmen turn up when they were 
supposed to? Was the work carried out in a professional manner? Were there 
any unforeseen problems whilst work was being carried out and were these 
dealt with satisfactorily? Ask to see the finished work.

* If the work includes gas installations or disconnections or electrical 
work, always make sure that the tradesman is properly qualified. Gas 
installers must be CORGI registered and anyone carrying out anything other 
than very basic electrical work must be registered with an approved body.

* Trade Associations keep lists of members and many offer help to consumers 
if things go wrong. Never rely on what is printed in an advert - always 
check.  Trade Associations will confirm if a trader is a member.

* Always make sure that you get a written quote itemising the work that you 
have agreed rather than an estimate, from at least three traders.  A quote 
is the actual price that you will be expected to pay for the work to which 
you have agreed. An estimate is simply a guess at the final price and you 
may find that the final cost is much more than you expect.

* Trading Standards advise that you have a written contract giving details 
of all the work to be done including start and finish dates; cost; disposal 
of waste and details of any guarantees. Be wary of traders who offer to do 
the work for cash - you won't have a record of any payments or even who did 
the work if you should have a problem in the future. Don't be pressurised 
into having more work done than you can afford and raise any problems that 
arise as work progresses. Try to make sure that the trader can contact you - 
otherwise decisions could be made that you don't agree with and that may be 
difficult to change.

Nikki Piper, Project Manager for Cambridgeshire County Council Trading 
Standards, said: " Employing bogus or unscrupulous tradesmen can not only 
turn your dream house improvement into a nightmare but can even leave 
properties in a dangerous condition. Trading Standards receive many calls on 
the subject and we hope these top tips will help prevent residents the heart 
ache and expense of sorting out the mess left by a cowboy tradesman."

Sometimes, even with the best efforts, things can go wrong. If you have a 
problem with any goods or services that you have bought, contact Consumer 
Direct on 0845 4040506 for help and advice.

John Reynolds