Say No To Doorstep Traders |
31 Mar 2006 |
South Tyneside Trading Standards have issued another
warning against bogus callers and cowboy builders.
During the past month, the Council's Trading Standards
team has taken an increasing number of calls regarding
door-to-door sellers. Typically, a resident will receive
a knock on the door from a trader who claims to be doing
work elsewhere in the area and has noticed that urgent
repairs are necessary to the property.
This work may not be necessary or will be completed
to a very poor standard and it can be difficult to track
these people down if you need to contact them again.
Councillor Michael Clare, Lead Member for Neighbourhood
Services, has warned Borough residents to be on their
guard.
He said: "Get at least three quotes if you are
thinking of having work carried out, and remember -
many goods and services sold door to door may be subject
to a seven-day cooling-off period and the seller is
required to give the resident a notice of cancellation
rights before the transaction.
"If a trader does not give this notice, they may
be committing a criminal offence and the matter should
be reported to Trading Standards."
He added: "Trading Standards wants to remind residents
of the Safetrader scheme which can give peace of mind
to people looking for builders or home maintenance professionals."
Safetrader lists are available online at www.southtyneside.info/safetraders
or can be requested by phoning 424 7878. For any advice
or assistance regarding any consumer issue, contact
Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.
If you are an elderly resident of South Tyneside or
a carer of an elderly or vulnerable individual, text
the word 'doorstep' to 07786 200 802. We will text you
with warnings of rogue traders or doorstep scams that
we become aware of in the area.
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