1 week Ago By Chris Betteley
Ceredigion County Council Public Protection’s Trading Standards Service is issuing a warning to residents to watch out for unscrupulous traders who may prey on them during bad weather. When extreme weather hits, as we have seen over the last few days, legitimate traders are in high demand, and the recent bout of bad weather has left many householders with damage to their properties. Weather conditions like these present an opportunity for rogue traders to take advantage of many householders.
Rogue traders usually go door-to-door offering their services and people may be tempted by traders offering work that can begin immediately who quote low prices, but they may come to regret such a decision. Rogue traders often inflate their charges after work begins and will attempt to intimidate householders if they refuse to pay. Work is generally done to a very poor standard, often leaving consumers to employ another trader to clear up the mess.
Rogue traders use false names and addresses so that they cannot be easily traced. If your property has suffered any damage, the Trading Standards Service urges residents to not agree to any work on the doorstep and always say no to cold-callers who turn up out of the blue offering to do work on your property. Ceredigion County Council Cabinet Member Cllr Matthew Vaux, said: “Rogue traders are opportunists and will see this as a chance to target not just vulnerable people but any householder that has been affected by the recent storms.
“We want people to be extra vigilant and report any rogue traders to the police and Trading Standards. “We also wish to remind residents to always be suspicious if someone arrives on their doorstep, or if they receive an unexpected phone call, claiming their property needs repairs or maintenance of any kind.”.
