Trust A Trader Cracks Down On Rogue Traders

TrustATrader, one of the UK’s leading directories of accredited and reviewed local traders, has launched its own Rogue Trader campaign in a bid to make a stand against rogue traders who exploit vulnerable people and give traders a bad name.

The online directory was established in 2005 following CEO Gary McEwen’s personal bad experiences with traders during his home renovation project. Since then, the service has helped millions of people to find local traders who have been accredited by TrustATrader and reviewed by customers. However, for CEO Gary McEwen, simply helping people to find great traders is not enough; he wants to help protect people from predatory cowboy traders too.

Gary and his team have launched a Rogue Trader campaign, designed to let cowboys know that they are not welcome. The campaign offers people information and advice about choosing the right trader, how to spot a rogue trader and victims’ stories and advice. In addition, there are free anti rogue-trader posters available to download; it is hoped that these will act as a deterrent in much the same way as anti-theft posters are shown to. 

Gary McEwen said “It is hoped that by raising awareness of rogue traders and how to avoid them, the campaign will help people to acknowledge the high incidence of people being duped every day. Although official figures show that there are over 1.5 million complaints about traders every year, we believe the actual figure is much higher, as many people don’t complain about the trader, either because they think that there is no point or because they are embarrassed.”

As is often the case, it is usually the most vulnerable people who are exploited by rogue traders, with one of the primary groups being the elderly. As an element of its Rogue Trader campaign, TrustATrader are supporting Friends of the Elderly’s “Be A Friend”, pledging to support the elderly in fundraising and by continuing to be a source of trusted, regulated local traders.

To find out more about the Rogue Traders campaign, to download free posters or to support the Be A Friend campaign, go to www.trustatrader.com/rogue-traders

▶ TrustaTrader Radio Advert Featuring David Walliams - Video Dailymotion

▶ TrustaTrader Radio Advert Featuring David Walliams - Video Dailymotion

TrustaTrader Registered Roofer Saves The Day

A TrustaTrader approved roofing company made a great start to 2014 when it saved the day, the match and a considerable amount of money for Ipswich Town Football Club earlier this year.

A Clare roofing specialist told BBC Radio Suffolk listeners how his company saved the day for Ipswich town FC. ELC Roofing, based in Clare and offering roofing services to all of East Anglia and the surrounding areas, received an urgent SOS from Ipswich Town FC on the eve of its FA Cup Third round match against Preston North End. When ELC owner Edward Carlo heard that the next day’s match would have to be cancelled unless a loose skylight in the roof of the East of England Co-operative Stand could be fixed, he knew that he needed to act fast. Having received the telephone call at around 12.30 pm, Carlo made it to the Stadium later that afternoon to see how he could help.

Carlo arranged a crane for the next morning and, with the help of his professional team of employees, fixed the skylight just hours before kick-off. Not only did Carlo and his team save fans from being disappointed in a nail-biting 1-1 game, but they also saved the Club an estimated £30,000 in cancellation fees.

For Edward Carlo and his team, balancing routine jobs with emergency roofing disasters is all part of a day’s work. Carlo said: “They were very close to cancelling it, but we just got the job done in time.”

ELC Roofing is one of many professional traders listed on Trust a Trader, the online directory where customers can look for local traders in their area that have been approved by Trust a Trader and reviewed by previous customers. 

Trust a Trader Managing Director Gary McEwen says: “We are delighted to hear yet more praise for one of our reliable registered traders. This case is a perfect example of what Trust a Trader aims to do; we want everyone to have access to professional, reliable traders in their area and it comes as no surprise to us that ELC Roofing has an overall customer rating of 4.87 out of 5. It is our aim to remove the wildcard element of not knowing the trader you are dealing and replace it with peace of mind that you are choosing good local traders who are rated, reviewed and trusted by customers like you.”

Although Ipswich went on to be knocked out of the Third Round when it faced Preston again later in January, losing 3-2, there is no doubt that they would have lost a lot of money, face and loyalty if it had not been for ELC Roofing’s reliable, professional and speedy approach. Trust a Trader’s McEwen says that the company is continuing to grow its national directory to offer customers and excellent traders an honest, reliable service, wherever they are and whenever they need it.

To learn more, please visit www.trustatrader.com

Please contact:

Gary McEwen, MD, TrustaTrader.com Limited

Sales

Tel: +44 (0) 1438 870 097

E-mail: sales@trustatrader.com

Admin

Tel: +44 (0) 1438 870 096

E-mail: admin@trustatrader.com

Who we are

TrustaTrader is the UK's trusted online trade directory, because the tradespeople’s place on the website depends upon their quality of service. We thank both the public for their strong support of our service, and our great traders who prove that there is an alternative to the 'cowboys'.

www.trustatrader.com

ELC Roofing

ELC Roofing Ltd. are specialists in carrying out work to old, listed and period buildings as well as new builds. Based in Clare, Suffolk but working all over East Anglia, ELC Roofing are specialist providers of roofing services.

www.elcroofing.co.uk