There are plenty of horror stories of home owners who have been led down, scammed or even stolen from by traders that they have contracted. We sometimes hear these stories from our customers which has inspired us to write this article which gives you 5 key ways to verify that a trader is trustworthy ahead of contracting them to improve your home.
Our advice here can be applied to a wide range of home services, such as plumbers, electricians, roofers, home cleaners & sealers and more. With that said, let’s get into it!
Verifying a Tradesperson is Important
Choosing the wrong trader can have a range of consequences, such as a poor finish to outright loss of money and possessions; this can be due to a lack of qualifications and training or even a negligent and amoral attitude from the provider. The chances of this can be greatly lowered with some research in the right places.
Choosing the right trader like Universal Eco Homes and The Roof Cleaning Experts is very important for getting the results you want, here are 5 ways to do so.
- Reviews
Reviews are a great way to get social proof. You can visit sites such as Trustatrader (which are the only company that calls customers to verify their reviews) and Trustpilot, to see if the company in question has any reviews. Their business will also likely have a Google or Facebook profile where you can check for reviews.
The higher the ratings and the more reviews there are, the better. Also, check the reviews are unique and genuine as certain providers may try to create fake reviews.
- Photos & Videos
Another great way is to simply see the proof in the pudding. Check their Google, Facebook and website for photos and videos of their work. If you sense something is right, you can right click on the image and press ‘search Google for this image’ to check if it is duplicated from elsewhere on the internet, if you’re using Google Chrome.
Check that photos and videos are also service-specific for the help that you’re looking for.
- Visit Their Website
A website is a flagship channel for a business to promote their services. Whilst a good trader does not necessarily need a stand-alone website, it can help to verify the business. The website should have images and photos, reviews, contact details, and location details on it. It can have a range of information that can help you to feel-out potential tradespersons to help you.
- Are They Accredited & Insured?
Accreditations and insurance will vary by the trades, but as a minimum they should have Public Liability Insurance. You can ask the provider about insurance and accreditations to help verify they are trustworthy, they may feature this information on their website.
Accreditations can include certifications from regulatory agencies, specialised-product providers, as well as from training and course providers. All the better if they have an open registry online where you can find the provider!
- Communication: Look for honesty, care and credibility
There are some very useful signs that you can look for when speaking with a trustworthy trader:
- Honesty: do they give open expectations about the service, process and price, without over-promising beyond what you’ve seen from them elsewhere?
- Care: Do they put your needs as a customer first? Are they considerate of your situation and needs or are they sidelining them?
- Credibility: When explaining the service, process and problem to you, do they go into a decent level of detail and answer your questions fully?
In all, look out for dismissiveness, a lack of transparency, and inconsiderateness from providers when speaking with them, as not only are these potential red flags, but you can also rightly expect better as a customer regardless of the business you are dealing with.
Need Professional Roof or Wall Cleaning or Coating Services? You can Trust The Roof Cleaning Experts! ⭐
We’re passionate about this article and confident to write it because we tick all of these boxes ourselves and really pride ourselves on doing everything we can to create a great, reliable and honest customer experience; every time, for everyone.
We hope this article can be of use to you and those you know. The Roof Cleaning Experts do not outsource works as they are all done in-house. If we can help at all, you can reach us at www.theroofcleaningexperts.co.uk, by calling 0800 047 2404, or via emailing hello@theroofcleaningexperts.co.uk.