FORCE
but you should ask yourself why a trader would be reluctant to do so. Once you have located what you believe to be a reputable firm, you will still need to be vigilant when they come to price the job. Pricing Does the trader offer a very cheap quote or estimate? Although everyone loves to save money and wants a competitive quote, you may only know how realistic the price is by getting a number of quotes so that you can compare them. Without these comparisons, you may not know whether you are dealing with someone experienced enough to provide accurate figures. Rogue traders will often provide a low estimate in order to gain the work, knowing that it will be substandard, or they may have a number of reasons at the end of the job as to why the final cost is far higher than the initial estimate. Similarly, they may be reluctant to put the quote or estimate in writing which is often an indication that they do not intend to adhere to it. Never accept a figure verbally! VAT Not all traders will be VAT registered – it can depend on the size of the firm, how long they have been in business and what their turnover is. If they are avoiding paying VAT when they should, then they are basically stealing from HMRC. Ask yourself if it is worth saving a bit of money to be working with
someone who is dishonest and breaking the law. On the other hand, a typical rogue trader trick is to charge VAT when they are not VAT registered in order to bump up the price of the job, or even to ignore the subject until the work is completed and then add 20% to the final cost to cover VAT! References A good reputation for professional and quality work is something that honest traders are rightly proud of and work hard to achieve and maintain. Any reputable and honest trader will be more than happy to provide references for their work and if they don’t then steer clear! You should also be sure to check references and make contact with the referees to ensure that the references are genuine and accurate. Questions to ask a referee could be: • What were they like to work with? – Were they polite, courteous, punctual and respectful of the property. • Was the work undertaken to a high standard? • Did the trader complete the job in accordance to an agreed time and budget? • Would they be happy to use them again in future? The Company Gain the details of their business – you should be looking for a registered company address, a landline telephone number (call it!) website (visit it!) If they
Federation of Regional Crime Enforcement
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