If you feel things have gone wrong and you need help, or want your situation brough to light.
Contact
Citizen’s Advice
Their job: “…empower people by equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to navigate challenges they face”.
How they are set up: Citizen’s Advice across the UK are set up as different charities working under an umbrella national organisation. They have different contact numbers for each country in the UK.
They report back their data to a central location. The data is collated and used to identify areas of greatest need enabling Citizen’s Advice to provide help where it is needed.
What they can do: Provide you with template letters, let you know your rights and help you plan your approach. They are also the gateway to Trading Standards.
They can also support you if your trader has caused you to incur debt, by conducting a financial assessment and exploring possible solutions to help you recover.
What they cannot do: Take on your case for you, give legal advice or offer cancelling, while they can help you navigate debt issues they do not offer financial advice..
Where you may struggle: Getting through on the phone. Waiting times can be long. You can contact them online through the ‘chat’ function and fill in an online form between Friday 5pm and Monday 9am.
How to get through: Use the form to see if that helps, but keep persevering. Put the phone on speaker and get on with something else while you wait.
If everyone perseveres to get through, their central office data will flag rogue traders are an increasing problem, and Trading Standards will get more complaints about your rogue, which may trigger action.
Resources: Consumer Helpline Webpage; Debt Advice webpage
Trading Standards (TS)
Their job: “…responsible for ensuring that businesses comply with trading standards legislation”. This covers ALL trading standards, not just skilled trades. if they feel it is in the public’s interest they can conduct criminal investigations and have a thorough, strict process to build a case for passing on to lawyers to take forward.
How they are set up: Primarily managed by local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland manages them centrally. To report a case to TS you need to contact Citizen’s Advice.
There is a National Trading Standards (NTS) that provides support and guidance to local authorities, particularly for issues that require regional or national focus. There is also a Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) involved in training, standards settings and advice.
What they can do: Investigate unfair or illegal business practises potentially leading to court action.
What they can’t do: Take up every case. Take up any case where there is no hard evidence. You will need to gather your evidence (scope, contract, texts/emails, photos etc) in order to be heard.
Where you may struggle: Getting them to take up your case. We hear there are inconsistencies across local authorities where some TS need between 1-2 people to report a rogue trader while others say 5-6 people are needed.
We hear TS have been badly impacted by budget cuts and lack of hiring over many years leading to a high burn out/resignation rate. This will impact their ability to take on cases.
We know that it is hard to start communications with TS and if your case is taken up the communication is poor to terrible.
Stay polite and friendly. We know how frustrating dealing with TS can be. Remain calm, remain polite, remain persistent.
Resources: Reporting to Trading Standards
Action Fraud
Their job: “receiving and analyzing reports of fraud and cybercrime, and then forwarding them to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) for further action” across England, Wales & Northern Ireland.
How they are set up: The UK’s national reporting centre, managed by the City of London Police and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB)
What they can do: Data synthesis and analysis to identify patterns and trends which are reported to the NFIB; they then use the data to identify potential leads for police investigations, block fraud enablers and provide police intelligence.
They can provide advice and guidance to the public including specific advice to people who have been victims of fraud. They can also connect victims to Victim Support for emotional and practical help.
What they can’t do: They do not have investigation powers, provide progress updates or help with fund recovery.
Where you may struggle: Getting them to take up the case. CAST victims are typically advised to report to Action Fraud to provide their data not necessarily to obtain help or support.
Resources: Their website
CAST recommend being careful with Facebook when things have gone wrong due as it could jeopardise your case if it progresses to court.
What YOU can do: Check Local social media site and rogue builder Facebook groups for your trader’s name, please do avoid naming and shaming your trader at this point. This might jeopardise your case. You can however ask if anyone has used your trader and see what feedback you get.
Find other people who the trader has done work for. Talk to their workmen, you might gain valuable information about who else they are working for.
The more people that report a rogue trader the more action trading standards will take. If they pursue a claim against your trader and win, you may be able to get your money back through your bank as your trader will have a criminal conviction.
Keep any exchanges or posts professional, factual and non-emotive.
What you shouldn’t do: Let your emotions take over and/or get involved in heated exchanges, give too much detail away (always think: could my sharing this jeopardise my case), respond to trolls.
Where you may struggle: You may be contacted by your trader who is likely to be unhappy about receiving negativity online. It may impact his business – and impact his ability to be a rogue. Review this page before making a decision on how to proceed.