Cowboy Builders and Rogue Traders are an annual £1.5billion problem for householders across the country. They ruin the homes and lives of hundreds of thousands of people every year, and give a bad name to an industry which is full of hard-working and trustworthy professionals.

Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform Minister, Gareth Thomas, said that he was delighted to help raise awareness of TrustMark as it had made excellent progress over the last twelve months in informing the public about the risks of employing Cowboy Builders and Rogue Tradesmen, as well as providing them with the alternatives that are now open to them to secure good quality tradesmen.
The Minister concluded by stating:
“TrustMark offers an excellent scheme at no extra cost to the consumer”

Andrew Gwynne MP said:

“We all need the confidence to employ tradesmen throughout the home, and to not get ripped off. Tradesman should be judged on more than price to ensure that your money is protected, competence is assured and further protection is given through a robust inspection and complaints procedure.”

“I am supporting the TrustMark scheme to help to protect homeowners in Tameside and Stockport from being ripped off by Cowboy Builders, who end up costing customers a lot more than their original quotes.”

Deep Sagar – Chair of TrustMark said:

“TrustMark’s priority is to protect all householders, and this can be done through informing them about the benefits of the scheme and how it enables them to have a simple and effective way of employing good quality tradesmen for work inside and outside their homes.”

“Until homeowners realise that choosing a tradesman is a serious commercial decision with significant cost implications around their homes and families, we will continue to suffer from the ‘Cowboy Builders and Rogue Traders’ who blight our lives.”

Tackling the increasing ‘Cowboy and Rogue’ problem won’t be easy and it won’t be instantaneous. But TrustMark is making a difference and with consumers help we can guide and support, ensuring it becomes more difficult for the rogues to take advantage of us, our families, parents and friends. For help visit: www.trustmark.org.uk