When you are young and don’t have a care in the world, you wouldn’t think that finding a trusted local tradesperson would be something you would need to worry about. But when you have a house to maintain you soon discover that finding a local tradesperson you can trust is a minefield. We had this problem when we lived in our flat and our hot water tank decided to stop working just before Christmas. We had a nightmare trying to find a plumber willing to do the work. Because of our experience I have decided to compile a list of how to find a trusted local tradesperson
Ask Friends and Family
I would firstly recommend asking friends and family if they know of any local tradesmen or women. If they do have someone they can recommend this would probably be because they have had work done themselves. They would be able to give you an honest review of the work done and if they were satisfied with it.
Look In The Yellow Pages
I’m showing my age now but before the days of the Internet and smart phones there was a book called The Yellow Pages. This was a directory of all the local businesses and tradespeople in your area. We still get the yellow pages delivered here but they have also successfully transitioned over onto a website. The plus side of the website it that people can leave reviews of the services they have used.
Look For and Read Reviews of your Local Tradesperson
As touched on above reviews can be found online for your local tradespeople. There are many websites that now offer this service so it might take a while to work your way through these. To make life a little easier Which have launched a Trusted Traders website.
What is Which Trusted Traders?
Which are known for testing products and services and have been for nearly 60 years. Through the Which Trusted Traders website you can now access and endorse your local tradesmen and women. Which also use the Which? Trusted Trader Logo as a sign of reputation and trust. This logo can help consumers choose the right tradesperson for their job. Which also uses an assessment process for the tradespeople that they include on their website. These checks include credit report checks, interviews and assessments to name just a view.
Which also awards the Which? Trusted Trader Award which was awarded this year to a double glazing company in Essex. The Which? Trusted Trader of the Year award recognises traders who have gone that extra mile for their customers.
When we next have to look for a trusted local tradesperson Which will be one of the resources that we use.
DISCLOSURE – This post is in collaboration with Homeglaze.