Roofer fined for Unfair Trading

A recent magistrates’ court trial resulted in a local roofer being found guilty of an offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. All Seasons Roofing Contractors Limited of Sandycroft, and its Director Patrick McDonagh, were ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £4,800.

Trading Standards in Wrexham launched an investigation into the roofers activities following an incident where a concerned neighbour reported that an elderly resident was having work carried out on his roof after initially only requesting work on one of his chimneys. The work that was carried out was found to be below the standards expected of a competent contractor, and in breach of consumer protection laws.

Roger Mapleson, Trading Standards and Licensing Lead said, “We regularly deal with complaints regarding work done on homes as a result of a cold call where the work done was never necessary, was ineffective and overpriced. I really would urge consumers to exercise great care when selecting contractors to do work on their own home. Don’t deal with cold callers, just say ‘No’.

“Good shopping advice from Trading Standards is that if you are considering having work done on your home, choose your builder or contractor with care. If they claim to be members of trade associations, check if they are, and whether this is actually of any benefit to the customer. If you can, do some research online looking for reviews or poor experiences of other customers. Best of all, seek recommendations from friends and family.”