How do I check out a trades person

crazycatlady1984

Heya, where are you based? If anywhere in Scotland I can highly recommend www.kmlandscapes.net

If not, stick with Rated People, are you getting 3 tradesmen out (think thats how it usually works)? If so, just have a good long chat with each of them, check out their websites, and ask to see pictures etc of previous works. Good luck!

knithappens

crazycatlady1984 wrote: »

Heya, where are you based? If anywhere in Scotland I can highly recommend www.kmlandscapes.net

If not, stick with Rated People, are you getting 3 tradesmen out (think thats how it usually works)? If so, just have a good long chat with each of them, check out their websites, and ask to see pictures etc of previous works. Good luck!

Thank you, but i am in manchester.

I have found a few local to me now too, but they feel too salesy (if that is even a word) They are bigger companies.

At least now i know what to be asking and what to be looking for, thankyou to you all

busiscoming2

Recommendations is the best way to go. Do you have a local forum like a freecycle cafe where you could ask for recommendations? My DH is a self employed builder and all his work comes from word of mouth.

Aquatronixjenny

The problem with rated people is that they do absolutely no vetting at all. We are with rated people, and all you do is pay a fee to them - and then you get sent emails of jobs coming in.

You will find that the only trades people that contact you through rated people are those who are pretty desperate for work, as they will have to pay for your contact details. For example, if someone posts that they need a new boiler, if I want to contact them to give a quote I'll have to pay anything up to £40 to just get your phone number and even then there's no guarantee I'll get the job.

Best bet is to scan your local paper or look on yell.com for genuinely local people. Ask for their head office address and if they can't answer you then avoid... get 3 quotes and go for the middle one, ask to see insurance certificates and then go from there.