Residents of County Durham are being urged not to do business with cold callers who knock at the door offering repair services. The warning comes after a resident paid £200 for unnecessary work to her roof which was never carried out.
Joanne Waller, head of Environment, Health and Consumer Protection, said “We would always urge residents to be on their guard when answering the door to unexpected callers offering goods and services. In particular those offering repairs to a roof, driveway or gardening work. The work will often be unnecessary, overpriced and of poor quality. When things go wrong the trader can rarely be found to put things right.”
“Far from being a Good Samaritan and pointing out what they claim to be vital and urgent work, they can sound convincing, preying on the fears of householder sand pressurising them into agreeing to costly work not needed.  Often the sole aim is to con people out of their money.”
The law gives householders a cooling off period in which to think about things and change their mind before agreeing to work being done. Rogue traders rarely give consumers these legal rights and pressurise them into agreeing to an immediate start for the work. This can be a criminal offence.
The warning comes just after Scams Awareness Month, an initiative aimed at educating consumers about scams which could target people in their homes, and on-line. New legislation came into force on 13th June, which gives consumers a longer cancellation period of 14 days in which to change their minds.
Joanne added: “We would urge all residents not to do business on the doorstep from cold calling traders offering repair services as it could prove to be a costly mistake. “It is far better to seek a recommendation from family or friends as to someone who can be trusted and to do a good job.”
The County Council also runs a Registered Trader Scheme, where residents can check out the feedback about members who agree to abide by the schemes aim to trade fairly.
Further information on registered traders can be found at www.durham.gov.uk Anyone needing advice on goods or services that they have bought should contact the Consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06.