Posted on Tuesday 19th April 2022
People in Kinver and parts of South Staffordshire are being urged to be on their guard for rogue traders targeting residents in the area.
Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards service have issued the warning following reports of a rogue trader calling at households and asking for payments for work, despite the property owners not requesting any work to be completed.
Anyone who is approached, feels threatened or has concerns about doorstep callers or rogue traders is urged to call the police on 101.
Victoria Wilson, cabinet member responsible for Trading Standards at Staffordshire County Council said:
“Keeping communities safe is our priority and this includes protecting people from rogue traders and doorstep crime.
“Rogue traders prey on the vulnerable and sadly are more active at this time of the year when the weather is better. Most reputable trades people do not cold call and our advice to people would be to always use a reputable trader and never hand over money to unsolicited cold callers.
“If you’re approached by a cold caller or someone asking for money for work they claim to have carried out, please be aware and report it to the Police on 101.”
Trading Standards officers are also reminding people to be wary of those offering convincing deals on various household jobs and repairs, particularly those calling door to door.
Common services offered by rogue traders and cold callers include general building work, extensions, roofing, repairs and maintenance and driveway resurfacing. Prices charged are usually excessive and anyone accepting work will pay much more than intended. Work is also often very poor quality, can be dangerous and in some cases isn’t even done. Doorstep criminals in particular also rarely provide paperwork so they can't be traced once they've left people’s homes. Names, addresses and business details are often false and telephone numbers don't get answered.
People can get advice on spotting and avoiding rogue traders from the Citizen’s Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133 or at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/.