Complaints process
A customer contacts us with a complaint regarding a tradesperson. If the tradesperson is live on our website we would usually ask the customer for their version of events as at this point we need to decide the seriousness of the complaint and whether the formal Complaints Form process needs to start or if we can talk to the trader and remedy the complaint quickly.
If the complaints form is required, we send a copy to the customer and ask them to fill in the details and resolution they would like to see, along with any evidence to support their allegation.
PLEASE NOTE: We do not accept complaints about work which was completed more than two years ago.
If the tradesperson is no longer live or has never been with us we direct the customer to the Citizens Advice as there is nothing we can do to help, as they are not part of our advertising and we have no right to contact them to discuss the complaint. We place a note on file for future reference.
With the review process, sometimes a review can turn into a complaint or a review can be used in the resolution of a complaint.
Once we have tried to mediate between the customer and the trader regarding a complaint, usually there are 5 scenarios that happen after this:
- The trader completes/rectifies the work
- The trader gives a financial goodwill gesture
- The trader pays another trader to complete/rectify the work
- The customer leaves a negative review
- TrustATrader asks a trader to complete a report for us
If there is a complete breakdown in communication between the customer and trader and a resolution cannot be met, we advise the customer to seek legal advice in the following situations:
- The financial amount the customer is requesting
- The Health & Safety impact of the work involved
- Severe breakdown of communication
- Breach of contract
- Court Action
With each complaint we receive, we input all the information on to a spreadsheet so that we keep track of all the related details.
If you would like to leave a complaint about one of our traders, please get in touch and let us know about your experience.
Make a complaint