The current bad weather doesn’t appear to have prevented rogue traders from targeting the Isle of Wight, in fact Trading Standards are seeing increased reports for this time of the year.

Whether its somebody offering to clean or Tarmac your drive, landscape your garden, cut down a tree or fix a dodgy roof tile the message is always the same – NEVER engage with somebody on your doorstep offering to carry out work for you.

These will NEVER be genuine traders and may leave your home in a worse state than when they started.

If you need work carried out on your property then do the following

· Use a recommendation from a friend or family

· Contact somebody on the Isle of Wight Council Trader Approval Scheme

· Get more than one quote and don’t necessarily go for the cheapest

· Always make sure you get the traders full name and address – you will need this information if anything goes wrong and you need to pursue them in court

· Be wary of using schemes for companies that match you with a trader - you can post an advert on their site and the traders respond. These, generally, don’t carry out any vetting procedure and wont do anything if an issue arises. Anyone skilled or not can respond to your request – these are NOT trader approval schemes.

· Use a No Cold Calling sticker – available from trading.standards@iow.gov.uk

Reporting a Scam

· For advice on scams call - Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline: 0808 250 5050

· To report a scam call - Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040

For more information on scams visit IWASP - Isle of Wight Against Scams Partnership (iow.gov.uk) (link above)