Don’t get caught out by a Rogue Tiled Conservatory Roofing company – ensure your Tiled Conservatory roofing company comes highly recommended.
Have you been ripped off by a builder? Sadly, despite the majority of conservatory roofing companies being decent and honest, there are always going to be a subset of cowboy builders.
At Greenoak Concept & Design, we’re going to take you through the journey of cowboy builders, what you can do to prevent yourself becoming a victim of a builders scam and most importantly, how to deal with the rogue traders.
In 2016, Wrexham Council’s Trading Standards team had to issue a warning to local homeowners to be ‘on their guard’ after a spate of incidents regarding roofing work. Dodgy roofers in Sutton attempted to con pensioners into paying for unwanted roofing work – including a 93-year-old.
Since hearing about this, a Milton Keynes roofing company very kindly replaced a roof for free after a resident was scammed out of £24,000 by a rogue roofer.
The Importance of a Reliable and Trustworthy Tiled Roof Company
No matter how long Greenoak Concept & Design LTD continues to trade, it still saddens us to hear of so many people being scammed by builders, purporting to be in our industry. The fact is that a conservatory roof is an essential part of any home.
It protects you, your family, and your belongings. It keeps you warm and
dry, no matter how foul the weather outside may be. Because of this, it means that any new tiled roof changed to your conservatory needs to be done in the correct fashion.
Plus, we can’t escape the fact that roof repairs – or a replacement roof – doesn’t come cheap. You are talking about hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. If you discover too late that your chosen company is a rogue trader, it’s going to cost you in more ways than one.
Beware of Doorstep Offers and Promotions
A lot of rogue traders will call uninvited. We strongly advise against doing any business with anyone who knocks on your door and offers to carry out work on the spot.
The reason for this is simple. If you verbally agree to a price on the doorstep, you will have no proof of that agreement if they suddenly increase the price after work has been carried out. You also won’t have the opportunity to get other quotes to make sure the price you’ve been given is competitive.
A tiled conservatory roofing company who turns up on your doorstep is nearly always untraceable once that work has been completed, leaving you unable to report any bad builders to trading standards. More often than not, this work is either overpriced, of poor quality, no guarantees, warrantees, or completely unnecessary.
And don’t forget – anyone can get a few pretty-looking leaflets printed up, or a glossy website. Nice promotional material doesn’t mean that they can be trusted.
Beware of Deceptive Tactics and Unsafe "Clad Over" Systems
Sadly, rogue conservatory roofing companies tend to target the most vulnerable members of the community. They can be persuasive and intimidating, which may scare people into believing that work is not only necessary but needs to be done immediately. In reality, the roof may only require minor repairs and in too many cases, require no attention at all.
Nearly all the time these companies will also only offer you a system that is called “Clad Over” this consists of keeping your old roof in place and adding tiles on the outside and plastic cladding on the inside, cheap!
But very dangerous, this will add more weight to your roof that has only been designed for the purpose for what you already have in place, you will not have any structural designs for weight loads.
Rogue conservatory roofing companies tend to target the most vulnerable members of the community. They can be persuasive and intimidating, which may scare people into believing that work is not only necessary but needs to be done immediately. In reality, the roof may only require minor repairs and in too many cases, require no attention at all.
Nearly all the time these companies will also only offer you a system that is called “Clad Over” this consists of keeping your old roof in place and adding tiles on the outside and plastic cladding on the inside, cheap! But very dangerous, this will add more weight to your roof that has only been designed for the purpose for what you already have in place, you will not have any structural designs for weight loads.
How To Spot a Fake Builder
If you are looking to install a new tiled roof to your conservatory, we’d recommend that if you know of people who have had tiled conservatory roofs changed in the past, ask for their recommendations.
If you’re looking for a tiled conservatory roofing company, or perhaps you are approached what we call a rogue builder, we suggest to:
- Check any trader’s contact details before you commit and see if you can find any feedback from past clients.
- Visit their offices or showrooms
- Look on reliable review platforms such as Google, Trustatrader, or Trustpilot
- Obtain written documentation through a formal contract when engaging in any agreements.
- Ensure that the company you are dealing with possesses a reputable track record in the specific field of tiled roof replacement.
- Choose a company that provides insurance-backed guarantees, possesses public liability coverage, and holds the approval of TrustMark, a government-endorsed accreditation scheme.
If you have an elderly or vulnerable relative who lives alone, we recommend checking on a regular basis that no-one has tried to talk them into work they may not need or want. And if anything does need doing, why not help them find someone trustworthy?
Unfortunately, rogue traders will continue to try to con unsuspecting people out of their money. But with a little common sense and a bit of research, you can avoid the pitfalls.
For impartial advice please contact us on 01702 238938
