subject: Be a Gas Safe Engineer and beat the Rogue Traders [print this page] Be a Gas Safe Engineer and beat the Rogue Traders
A recent survey conducted by npower has revealed that the British public find a boiler breakdown the most disruptive part of day to day life.
According to the survey, 37% of homeowners find boiler breakdowns to be the biggest disruption to their daily lives. Conversely, only 18% of people rated having their car clamped as being the greatest inconvenience, 13% chose losing their keys and a tiny 6% answer with getting stuck in traffic.
Whilst winter may now be on its last legs, this is a clear indicator of how important boiler repair is to millions of people. Also reported in the npower survey was the finding that despite boilers being among the most expensive household items, an estimated 59% of people do not have any sort of boiler cover. In the event of a boiler breakdown, that most infuriating of daily disruptions, homeowners are therefore left to fend for themselves.
This is a fact that many rogue traders are capitalizing on as they offer cheaper services on the spot to stricken homeowners. Such is the detrimental effect of these rogue traders, tThe Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has joined forces with Age UK to warn Britons to beware.
The problem is especially prevalent amongst vulnerable groups such as the elderly who, when problems occur, are likely to want them fixed quickly. Combined with a general lack of public knowledge on what course of action to take when breakdown occurs, the problem with rogue traders is a significant one.
In 2009, according to the advice line Consumer Direct, there were over 5,300 complaints about rogue traders offering home maintenance work on the doorstep. This marks a rise of 16% from the previous year, meaning homeowners are more at risk than ever.
A known notable method used by rogue traders is claiming to be from an energy saving scheme offering discounted rates, but then doing substandard or even non-existent work for high prices.
Advice issued from the OFT advises people not to agree to on-the-spot house repairs, sign anything straight away with a person at the door and to be wary of special offers or warnings that a house is unsafe. OFT recommendations encourage homeowners not to make impulse buys on home improvements and to speak to someone they trust before making the decision.
For information on how to train as a fully-qualified Gas Safe engineer and provide a quality, professional service to homeowners, check out RF Training's Gas Safe Engineer courses.
