Warning issued to UK households using Checkatrade before getting work done

A "rogue trader" warning has been issued to people who use Checkatrade. The Guardian newspaper reports Checkatrade promises customers “guaranteed” traders, “rigorous checks” and “recommendations you can rely on” but some say they have lost thousands after using the website.

“I was able to discover these things with a simple search using the business owner’s name and address,” one woman told the newspaper today (Saturday November 30). They added:. “He had advertised his company as a family firm with 25 years’ experience.

"But it turned out it had only been incorporated five months before and was one of a string of companies he’s set up and dissolved. It was devastating to discover I’d let a violent criminal into my home.” The woman says Checkatrade initially paid her £1,000 under its guarantee scheme and then close to £6k to replace shoddy workmanship.

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Other reports in the newspaper include a second user who "was doorstepped by a stranger who threatened unspecified repercussions unless he removed a negative review". A Checkatrade spokesperson said: “No platform is immune from our industry’s problem with rogue operators. Checkatrade is still the best way to find a trusted tradesperson.

“Our vetting and protections are industry-leading: we monitor and verify more than 600,000 reviews a year and, in the very rare event that something doesn’t go to plan, we offer a guarantee of up to £1,000. Out of over 3m jobs annually on Checkatrade, just 0.03% result in a claim being made.”

It also denied the allegations and said it had removed 1,000 substandard traders in the past 12 months. But the newspaper reports the warning is particularly prudent amid the ongoing Cost of Living crisis the UK is experiencing.

It is estimated that about 775,500 UK households are left out of pocket by an average of £1,800 each after signing up cowboy traders to improve their homes.