2 December 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Daylight shrubbery - Checkatrade on cowboy gardeners
ADF
SUMMARY
Following a recent news stroy about cowboy gardeners being on the up, Kevin Byrne, Managing Director at Checkatrade, which vets and monitors trade companies to help people avoid rogue traders comments:
PRESS RELEASE
"Homeowners beware! Unscrupulous rogue traders do not limit themselves to the building trade, they spring up whever there is a chance to prey on the unsuspecting public and make themselves a quick buck - a disgraceful and finacially ruinous practice that destroy's peoples lives and properties.
Checkatrade recently conducted research that showed that half of the UK homeowners have been ripped off by a cowboy, while one in seven have been targeted three or more times. Yet despite the escalating problem of rogue traders, only one in twenty people trouble to consult a tradesperson review site before employing someone.
By consulting such a site you can check if a tradesperson is genuine and competant, whether they are a builder, plumber or even a gardener. This is quick, easy and free - dont end up being a victim"
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Checkatrade helps combat the UK's rogue trader problem by continuously vetting and monitoring local traders such as builders, plumbers and electricians. The idea was born in 1998 after a tornado hit the small West Sussex town of Selsey. Traders poured in from as far away as Liverpool and Manchester. Unfortunately, some ripped off the inhabitants of the town. Local businessman, Kevin Byrne, realised there was nowhere to check out the traders’ credentials and the company that became Checkatrade was formed.
Since then, Checkatrade has grown to include over 6,300 genuine trade members, growing by an average 120 new members every month, and, via the Royal Mail, distributes 5.9 million directories a year into communities throughout Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Dorset and Berkshire, while the website includes traders from across the UK.
CONTACT INFORMATION
PR / Marketing, Checkatrade
5 - 6 Sherrington Mews, Ellis Square, Selsey, West Sussex, PO20 0FJ
Tel: 01243 601234
Fax: 01243 601246
info@checkatrade.com
