Great 'how to find decent tradesmen' hunt

Mrs_Pay

Patr100 wrote: »

But it wasn't in another thread . It was in this thread . And no others . Read what I wrote. I said testimonials from longer established posters carry more weight. We've seen it all before in the "find cheap glasses" thread. Most are now deleted. Bother if you want but in a thread of this nature it still looks suspect.. . Others can draw what conclusions they want.

I've met people like you before

BMAC_3

We moved into our house 5 years ago, we had only ever lived in new builds before, so had never needed trades, only snagging done by the house builders team. What an eye opener trying to find competent trades!!
We had 5 gas fitters/plumbers quote for 2 new bathrooms, utility room and a complete new heating/hot water system including changing our source of fuel from oil to gas, as well as some electrical work. The estimates varied dramatically and as we were new to the area all were pulled from Yellow Pages. BIG BIG BIG lesson learnt DON'T BOTHER. The company we ended up choosing have been horrendous. We are just about to receive our court date following 4 years of tradesmen hell. The company we used were members of every relevant trade body you can list but still did a CRAP job. We contacted (then) CORGI, IPHE, Enviornmental Health, trading standards. No-one except IPHE even bothered trying to help us. IPHE still have our case outstanding for the company but the company still trade as a member, even though their bad work is going to cost us over 15k to rectify. NIGHTMARE! Luckily since then we have come across an ok plumber who has helped us in the interim period with various faults, we also have a great carpenter and the best painter and decorator I have ever seen. It is a minefield trying to find decent trades, and if that is where your at at this time then all i can say is GOOD LUCK, and I hope you never have to enter my world of solicitors and legal battles. I have a friend who is seriously OCD and the only person I would take a trades recommendation from. Remember someone elses excellent job maybe shoddy to you.
Sorry I couldn't be more positive. :(:(

Patr100

Mrs_Pay wrote: »

I've met people like you before

Did you find them on Checkatrade?

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gramjo

Hi i am a decorator and a member of Dulux Select Decorators all the members are also Trustmark registered. Everyone is thoroughly vetted before gaining membership including all aspects of our businesses insurances, accounting, estimating, appearance and standard of workmanship. we are also monitored and checked on a regular basis. All work on domestic properties is covered by a 2 year guarantee from dulux and deposits are covered in case of something happening to the decorator. all the guys are conscietious people who care about our customers and their homes. any disputes are dealt with by dulux immediately. you can get more info from dulux website. all customer feedback is taken from comments on the guarantee forms

malcolmchisholm

I have recently qualified as an Electrician. I have joined NAPIT, a trade association covering electricians, plumbers, H&V trades and microgeneration. My work has been inspected by them and will be re-inspected regularly. To find a qualified tradesperson, contact a trade association such as NAPIT (napit.org.uk) and ask them, or go to their website to find a local member. Also ask the trader for proof of qualification and previous customer details.

gfergo2

This site is free and collects peoples opinions and experiences for builders, electricians, garages, shops, etc, etc. Basically any service you receive you can add to this site and either recommend or warn. It is new so at the moment there isn't much on there but if we all start adding then it will quickly become very useful indeed.

Can not add an exact link because this forum won't let me however type

www.
opinionpower
.org
.uk

in your browser

kevanf1

I run a Freegle affiliated recycling group (Freeworld-Recycling). We have a local cafe/chat group and I run a database of recommended service providers including builders on that cafe group called 'The Little Green Cafe' . These recommendations come from other cafe group members and if there are ever any problems the listings soon get removed. However, this has never happened and the database does get used a great deal with a lot of very happy members.

My suggestion, as 'The Little Green Cafe' really only covers Walsall, West Midlands and Cheslyn Hay, South Staffordshire, would be to check out your local Freegle cafe group.

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/thelittlegreencafe

Kevan

Phil_Free

Hi, I am a plumber/tiler and I am listed on the local trading standards 'buy with confidence' scheme. Having been through the fairly rigorous vetting process myself, I would be confident of using the scheme to find other tradesmen.

The post above which says he wouldn't accept an estimate is being unfair to people like myself. When I quote for a bathroom refit, I can get an impression of what the job is worth, and provide an estimate based on that. It is virtually impossible, however, to foresee every eventuality. If you insisted on a firm 'quote' then I would have to put in a price which would allow for all possibilities, regardless of whether they occurred or not.

My reputation is absolutely my best marketing tool, and if I can bring a job in on time and in budget I will. Also, if there is a problem which is going to add to the final bill, I will inform the customer ASAP. Adding sneaky 'extra/unforseen' costs onto the bill at the end is not going to endear you to anyone.

Phil_Free

Actually, don't bother reading my post above - just read what fluffpot wrote.

littlesnuggy

Apologies if this has been raised before, but I've just been onto Rated People expecting it to have feedback from customers on different tradespeople in the area. What it actually is is a service where tradespeople can 'buy' your enquiry (subscriptions start from £10 per month, apparently), and they then get the opportunity to respond to you... how does that guarantee that you're being contacted by a 'rated person', not just someone who's coughed up some cash to be given your details??