Don't be a victim of the recent round of Rogue Traders in Rickmansworth

We have recently received an increase of phone calls regarding rogue traders attempting to target households in the Rickmansworth area. Often they carry out the work very poorly and charge extremely inflated prices.  They can even demand payment up front and then fail to carry out the work at all, leaving fake contact details so the householder has no opportunity to get their money back.

Householders can protect themselves by:

• Taking advice from family, friends or reputable traders to check if the work really needs doing

• If you do decide the work needs doing, always obtain several quotes and make sure the quote you accept is in writing

• Ask for details of previous satisfied customers and contact them.  Go and see the work for yourself if you can

• Only use businesses that have an address and landline number, not just a mobile telephone number

• Look to use businesses that are registered as part of a trade organisation - this can give you more protection if things go wrong

How can you help to prevent Rogue Trading?

The elderly in our community are most vulnerable to doorstep crime. And, whilst the majority of traders are legitimate, you can help protect these people by looking out for:

• Vans with magnetic signs that can be easily removed.

• Flyers and vans that only provide a mobile phone contact number.

• Is an elderly or vulnerable neighbour having a lot of work done to their home that might not be needed?

• Are strangers regularly visiting elderly or vulnerable neighbours?

• Make note of the registration numbers of vehicles involved and descriptions of possible offenders.

For further crime prevention advice and to contact Hertfordshire Trading Standards please look at the following link http://www.hertsdirect.org/business/trading