Pushy salesmen and ‘cowboy’ workers who are converging on Black Country towns have triggered a warning from trading standards bosses.
A spate of high-pressure selling, over-charging, poor workmanship and threatening behaviour when complaints are made have been reported by Halesowen and Sedgley residents.
And now Dudley trading standards manager, Mike Chambers, has urged people to think twice before dealing with any door-to-door traders.
“There are traders who go door to door offering to tidy residents’ gardens, lay new driveways, cut back trees or carry out repairs to properties,” he said.
“We would urge people to think carefully before taking on these kinds of traders,” he added.
Residents are urged to seek recommendations from friends, family or neighbours and to get quotes from more than one trader.
People should also get a written quotation which includes a landline contact number.
Anyone requiring a reliable plumber, builder, roofer, gardener, decorator or electrician is advised to ask for a copy of the Fix a Home list prepared by trading standards and Age Concern.
The traders on the list have been vetted by trading standards to give consumers a method of finding a reliable business they can trust and a source of help if things go wrong.
The scheme has also been approved by the Office of Fair Trading.
Trading standards have also prepared window stickers, which residents can use to indicate that they do not buy at the door.
It comes after it emerged last March that cold callers would be barred from parts of Dudley in a bid to stop conmen.
In what is thought to be a first, West Midlands Police signs will be put up in parts of Dudley telling cold callers - such as double glazing sellers - not to knock.
It is the latest in a series of attempts by officers and other agencies to tackle bogus callers.
Efforts so far have seen the number of incidents cut by more than 45 per cent in the past year.
Copies of the Fix a Home list or stickers are available on 08454 040506.
By Richard Williams
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