'What Tradesman?'
About the 'What Tradesman?' scheme.
Bexley's 'What Tradesman?' scheme is run by the Trading Standards team in partnership with Siteon Ltd. The scheme aims to help consumers find a reliable trader instead of being ripped off by rogue traders knocking at the door.
Potential customers can quickly and easily identify tradesmen and see previous customers' feedback on their work. Participating tradesmen can also benefit from the scheme as it gives them the opportunity to have the quality of their work recognised.
The scheme is aimed at all types of services including domestic building works and home improvements.
How the scheme works
Once traders have joined the scheme, their customers will be invited to comment on the quality of the work carried out by giving the feedback online through the What Tradesman website or by returning a customer questionnaire. The results are then recorded on the website.
An overall customer satisfaction profile will be built up for each participating tradesman and made available on request to prospective consumers. The information will also be available to view online.
Other information
Please use the Trader Register website link provided on the right to find a local trader, leave and see feedback or to register your business for the scheme
Businesses should read the scheme's terms and conditions using the link provided on the left before signing up to the register.
Businesses should note that there is an annual fee of £75 (plus VAT) for membership of the scheme which covers the costs of pre-acceptance checks by the Trading Standards Team.
Customers have a seven-day cancellation period for most types of contract conducted away from a trader's place of business. Customers must be given a notice of these rights in the prescribed format. A copy of these rights and a cancellation form can be download as a PDF from this page.
Other trader guidance is available at the ERWIN website using the link to the right.
Does the scheme approve tradesmen in any way?
No. This is not an approval scheme; it only reflects the views of previous customers.
Will individual customer ratings be confidential?
Yes. Feedback will simply be totalled to form an overall picture of a tradesman's customer satisfaction levels.
What about problems outside the tradesman's control?
All tradesmen experience occasional site problems outside of their control and customers are asked, when evaluating a tradesman, to be as fair as possible in this respect. Remember that most building work inevitably involves a certain amount of disruption.
What about subcontractors?
If tradesmen subcontract work they will be considered responsible for the quality of the work carried out by their subcontractor. This should be taken into account in the customer's assessment.
What about disputes?
If a dispute is hindering the work or service provided and is clearly going to affect customer satisfaction, contact us for guidance as soon as possible.
How do you ensure that results are from genuine customers?
Checks will be carried out to verify the details and the nature of the work carried out. This may result in an appointment for a site visit by a council officer.
What about problems that occur later?
Sometimes faults become apparent after the work is finished. If this happens customers should contact us. Depending on the circumstances your original feedback may be amended.
