Consumer Direct Receives £80 Million of Home Maintenance Complaints in First Quarter

Consumer Direct received more than 19,000 complaints about builders, plumbers, electricians, decorators and other home improvement traders in the first three months of this year totalling almost £80 million.

During that period, concerns about home maintenance and improvements accounted for the highest number of calls to the government advice service.

In total, Consumer Direct advisers logged 19,075 home maintenance complaints, slightly down from 19,335 last year, but the total value of these complaints rose by almost £6 million.

Complaints about building work totalled £40 million, problems with fitted kitchens reached £14 million, and central heating installation and servicing complaints topped £5.5 million.

Michele Shambrook, Operations Manager for Consumer Direct said: 'There's no foolproof way of avoiding problems, but you need to do your homework before you embark on a project, agree clear terms with the trader, and if things go wrong, check your rights and take prompt action.'

Consumer Direct has the following tips for people carrying out home maintenance or improvement projects:

* Ask friends and neighbours for recommendations or look for traders who belong to trade associations approved by the government-endorsed Trustmark scheme (http://www.trustmark.org.uk).

* Alternatively, look for local authority assured trader schemes managed by Trading Standards Services. Details of those authorities who are members of the Local Authority Assured Trader Scheme Network are available on the OFT website at: http://www.oft.gov.uk/oft_at_work/consumer_initiatives/trader/network-members

* Shop around and ask for at least three written quotes (rather than estimates) before choosing a trader.

* Get a written contract covering the work, the price, payment arrangements and start/finish dates

* Never pay the total amount in cash up front, try to avoid paying large deposits and in all cases, you should try and keep back enough money to keep pressure on the trader to get on with the job and to finish it properly. Before you make any final payment make sure you are satisfied the work has been carried out properly and meets the terms of the contract.

* Ask for VAT invoices, get a signed receipt for every payment you make and keep all the paperwork for your records.

* If you pay by credit card or the work is being financed by a credit agreement arranged by the trader, you may have extra protection as the lender is jointly liable with the trader for any breach of contract (if the work costs between £100 and £30,000).

* Be fair about completion: pay promptly if everything contracted for has been completed satisfactorily.

Further information on consumer rights and advice on dealing with disputes with traders is available by calling Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or by visiting the website at http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk.