TrustATrader

We recently used Trust a Trader to find a plumber to fit a new shower and pump, really wished we hadn't. At first all went well, the guy turned up to do a quote and arrived when he said he would to do the work. The shower and pump were fitted and all seemed to be working fine. However a few days later I noticed a puddle of water under the pump, we rang the plumber and he said he mustn't have tightened up the fittings properly and we could do that easily ourselves. My husband said no and insisted he came round to do it which he did, but the water leakage was so bad by this point that the lining paper in our dining room started to peel off and a big stain was left on our hallway ceiling. The plumber just shrugged when we pointed this out. All was OK for a few weeks, but then the pump started to play up, cutting out and making strange noises. My husband rang the plumber he didn't answer so left a message saying we were having problems with the pump. The pump then broke completely, again my husband called and left a message explaining the problem, no response. I have also called and nothing. We contacted the pump manufacturer and found out the warranty expired on it in 2011 so they won't repair it. The plumber obviously used an old pump he had lying around and now we're left facing a hefty bill to sort out the expensive mess he made.

I was going to complain to the website but after reading other people's comments, I don't think I'll bother.

My advice - DO NOT USE TRUST A TRADER.

Having heard such extensive radio advertising about Trust-A-Trader, I decided to give them a go. I selected a company to do my driveway based on his excellent reviews and list of accreditations. To cut a long story short, the work was poor, they never returned my calls, and they tried to double the original quoted price half way through the job.

Upon realising that this website may actually be a scam, I decided to check listing in my own trade, and to my horror they were all the well known cowboy companies.

Like the hundreds of other people I've found by doing a few web searches, Trust-A-Trader never posted my detailed negative review about the trader. It's simply a paid business directory with clever marketing. They are simply there to make money, and they can only do that by maintaining the image of their paying advertisers. No doubt some companies on there are genuine, but from what I've seen of the companies listed in my own trades listings, I wouldn't touch any of them with a barge pole!

This website is only built with the traders in mind. Customers leaving feedback of less than 60% will automatically get "referred" and nearly always never get posted on the site. I had a guy from Quest Landscapes in Canterbury come to landscape my garden, and 1 month after getting to quote, 48 hours before the work was due to start he asked for 90% payment before completion. I tried to leave a review about this but the site came back saying because he didnt get a chance to do the work it can't be posted!

I chose trust a trader to find a bathroom fitter, having no personal recommendations. The bathroom fitters did not fully complete the work and also did substandard work. One of the offers from Trust a Trader is that if your trader turns out to be unreliable they will intervene and if necessary pay for the remedial works. The plumbers I used ignore all my phone calls, messages emails and letters and trust a trader are no better. I filled in one of their complaint forms and had to ring them to check they had received it. Since then, despite multiple efforts to contact them, after 8 weeks I have heard nothing. This company appears to be a one man band who will take on any trader and does no checks whatsover and contrary to the name, cannot be trusted!

I needed a plumber and had absolutely no idea who to ask as I'm always concerned about just taking anybody out of the Yellow Pages. I heard the Trustatrader adverts on the radio, and decided to look for a local plumber to sort out my leaky cistern. The chap was brilliant - his reviews gave me confidence that he would be reliable and good at his job. He was pleasant to speak to on the phone, turned up on time, fixed the leak, and didn't charge me a fortune. I was extremely pleased to have the backup of Trustatrader to help me find a suitable tradesman.

This is just the best. I'm a single mum who has money to spend but not to waste ( I do work full time thank you!) I spent £3500 on having some work done on my house, and I chose the company because I'd never heard of Trustatader before that!. When it all went hideously wrong after finding I'd hired cowboys, I found Trustatrader. They recommend company's through the reviews that are written about the company, and it seems it's not in their interest to have a company that is rubbish on their books. Found a great local company who came and did more than their fair share of work to totally re-build the work that had been done before. The prices can be just as cheap or far cheaper than any quotes, and it's just great to look at the reviews from customers, because you get an honest opinion from the reviews on the site.