How are you meant to know which tradesmen/companies to use :-(

martin2345uk

Hi all,

we want to get a company in to renovate our whole lounge/diner… but, the thing I always worry about is, just how to know which company to go for?

In this case, no one I personally know has used any such firms so I can't get any personal recommendations. So I do what I guess lots of people do and ask on our town's Facebook page. Obviously I have had about 50 "recommendations" but just how on earth do you go about narrowing this down? What should I be looking for? Do people still ask companies for "references" or like previous clients? Can they even give such details what with data protection etc?

Just a bit stumped at how to know who to trust basically, any advice very welcome!

Thanks very much

Archergirl

You could have a look at Trustpilot for reviews or put the firms name into Google with reviews at the end.

tacpot12

You could ask the firm to put you in touch with a client they have just finished a job for. Most firms know who their most unhappy customers are, and won't arrange for you speak to one of those, but they will (if the sale depends on it), find a customer you can talk to. Ideally it will be someone that they did some work for about a month ago, so that any problems with the work have had time to surface.

You can ask the customer questions about how well the work was done, whether they have found any problems with it, whether the trader took care in the property and cleaned up after themselves, and whether they turned up when they said they would, etc. There are lots of clues that come out in conversation about how happy the customer really is, even if they say they are happy.

I also Google the trader to see if anyone else has complained about them.

bjorn_toby_wilde

Some tradespeople have Facebook pages where they add weekly updates and pictures of their projects. I used this to take a look at the work of a roofer and a tiler in the last year or two.

They only do this if they’re proud of their work and you can easily see the quality that way. I found it helpful

maman

You say you've tried your town's FB page but what about a bit closer to home. We are fortunate to have a FB page for just our road. You could try asking neighbours, particularly if you've seen evidence of work being done like a company van parked outside.

Or are there any of the 50 recommendations you have repeated? Do any have a website or their own FB page to help you narrow it down.

EssexExile

Have you seen similar work going on nearby? If so, knock and ask what they think of the company they are using or, preferably, have used recently. I did this and got a great builder.

MysteryMe

Recommendation from someone you know personally or whose work you have observed locally so you can ask the home owner is always best, Do you really not know of any family, friends, neighbours or work colleagues who have had any kind of building work done? It does not matter if their project was different, reputable tradesmen will know other reputable tradesmen who would do your type of project.

Use properly vetted trader recommendation sites such as those run by WHICH or your local Trading Standards. Also reputable trade association websites, where they operate an arbitration scheme if things go wrong.

I'd avoid relying on online reviews, many are fake and some platforms allow traders to remove negative reviews if they have paid for an enhanced service operated by the review site and given reasons why the review is unfair. Also most trader platforms, do little meaningful vetting. Certainly not to the standard of the sites I've previously mentioned.

I'd be very careful using facebook, many of those 50 recommendations you received will be from traders themselves or family/friends. There are some reputable tradespeople on facebook, use those who have had their page for a while and post up images of their work regularly. Do reverse image searches in case they are using stock images or a house in the US for example. Avoid businesses that avoid revealing full names or locations of their business.

Even asking for references is not fool proof, conmen get stooges to pose as satisfied customers so be on your guard and if what they say does not ring true or something feels off, avoid.

For substantial work obtain an itemised quotation and ask for their terms and conditions. Make sure you have the full name(s) of any business you are dealing with. If it is a limited company check on Companies House to see how long they have been in business, are the accounts up to date, if there is just a sole director who may be in their early 20s or a female when you are only speaking to men is a possible indicator of a front director. Don't be embarrassed to ask for proof of ID. You are inviting people into your home, you are entitled to know who they are.

Ask for payment schedules in writing. Avoid paying large sums of money up front. Ask to pay by card, even using a debit card gives you some protection if you employ a cowboy who does a runner with your money. Do not ever pay with cash. Although you have no consumer protection paying by bank transfer or cheque there is at least an audit trail if you get scammed. Avoid all those cards through the door offering guarantees/ OAP discounts etc. Unless backed by a third party insurance, "guarantees" are likely to be limited or non existent in reality.

Pay for legal protection on your home insurance before any works commence.

marcia_

I use task rabbit which is who ikea recommends. There are multiple reviews of each persons work so you can choose the best price and reviews.

GrubbyGirl_2

All good advice here. I'll just add a few bits as I went through a full house renovation 5 years ago and had a brilliant builder. Firstly, you will have to wait for a good builder as he will be booked up. If you can get one tomorrow don't consider it. Go and visit the current job they are on and talk to the owner and ask how things are going. As others have said - look at the contract. Many builders don't have them so you really need to clarify terms of engagement in writing even if that's by email.

You really need to agree how payments will be made and when. What you don't want is big payments up front, you need them spread across the whole period and preferable with the biggest payment made at the end. They worked on my house for 4 months and the total cost was £120k and the final payment was £39k, the rest was spread out 2 weekly with the first payment being £3k. If you make changes to the spec once the work has started or, like me, you add things then made sure you get the changes and costs in writing. In addition for big items like the kitchen, appliances, windows and doors the builder ordered the items (at trade price) and I went and paid the bill and put on my credit card so I got the S75 protection. This proved useful as the double glazing company went bust 18 months later. Having said that they were high quality and I've had no problems with them.

Good luck