FORCE
benefit from Section 75 protection – in other words, your credit card provider becomes equally liable with the trader. Typical rogue trader tricks to get money out of you include: • Asking for payment in full up front • Offering you a “discounted” price if you pay up front • Asking for a payment up front for “materials” without explaining further. You’ve Fallen Victim – What next? Ostensibly there are two types of rogue trader – there are the kind that will take your money and vanish, either with or without doing any work, which if they did was of a low standard; or the type that will do a substandard job and then deny responsibility or refunds. For the former, this type of thief can simply vanish into another town, city or county leaving no forwarding details or trace. You should notify the police and trading standards immediately, any information you have that will increase the chances of them being caught may save many others from the same misery. In the event that the trader is still around but has blatantly breached the agreement you had with them there are a number of things that you can do. The first step is to make contact with the trader directly to let them know your grievance. This should be done promptly to give them the opportunity to fix the problem, and also because if you neglected to raise an issue at the time, it could be argued by the trader that you
had found the work to be acceptable. A template letter of complaint is available on the FORCE website. If this yields no results then you need to report them. Reporting a Rogue Trader If the trader was a member of a trade association then you need to let the organisation know. Unfortunately, in most instances a rogue trader would not have made the grade to join a trade association in the first place. As mentioned earlier, if you have been blatantly scammed then the police will need to be involved, but you do need to notify Trading Standards. Trading Standards exist to protect the rights of consumers and ensure that businesses work within the law and provide the services and standards they claim to. a fatal mistake It isn’t just our bank accounts that can suffer at the hands of a rogue trader. Those presenting themselves as proficient in certain trades when they are not can end up leaving you on the receiving end of more than an empty wallet. Everyone should be aware of the extent of rogue traders carrying out work
Federation of Regional Crime Enforcement
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