20 Sep From Bromley Trading Standards: Gardeners and plant sales at your door
Beware of doorstep callers
Recent reports involving doorstep criminals claiming to be gardeners, either selling gardening services or plants, trees and garden furniture have prompted a warning from Trading Standards.
Residents are being urged not to buy goods or agree to work from unsolicited traders, and to carefully check credentials before making any payment.
Trading Standards has received several complaints about ‘gardeners’ cold calling residents, particularly those who may be vulnerable, offering gardening services and taking payment for little or no work in return. Information has also been received about a doorstep sale of plants and garden furniture, with the trader claiming the items were left over from an exhibition.
Residents are urged to exercise caution, as it can be difficult to verify who they are dealing with or obtain redress if problems arise. Whether purchasing goods or agreeing to gardening work, the risks are similar. Residents may be left substantially out of pocket, receive poor-quality products or workmanship, and have little or no opportunity to recover losses if things go wrong.
Protect yourself from doorstep scams
The advice from Trading Standards remains clear: do not deal with unsolicited traders, including those at the door.
- Always get written quotes before agreeing to work.
- Be highly selective when choosing a trader to carry out work on a property.
- Residents are encouraged to use Trading Standards Checked to find local vetted traders.
www.bromley.gov.uk/tradingstandardschecked
Actions to avoid:
- Don’t respond to leaflet drops without carrying out thorough checks – same goes for businesses found through social media, websites, or other online platforms
- Don’t pay large sums upfront
- Don’t be pressured into making immediate decisions
- Don’t assume a trader is reputable because they have a website, social media page, or printed leaflet
How to protect yourself:
- Get at least three written quotes before agreeing to work
- Always ensure that rubbish removal is included in any quotes for work
- Check references, reviews and previous work
- Verify company details through the Companies House register
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
- Confirm any claimed trade association memberships directly
- Obtain a written contract and cooling-off rights
- Check and verify a trader’s insurance cover
- Be wary of cash payments and requests to transfer money to private individuals
- Question traders claiming they can start work immediately
- Shop around for plants and garden products from reputable retailers
- Look out for your neighbours, particularly those who are isolated or vulnerable
The key advice when seeking to hire anyone is to carefully check their credentials, including references and reviews. If it is a company, also carefully check their information on the Companies House register.
What to look for when doing a background check on a business:
- how long the business has been registered
- business activity history
- repeated filed complaints
- frequent director changes
- other concerning or inconsistent details
Whilst these factors do not necessarily mean a trader is unreliable, they may indicate that further checks are advisable.
Report, advice, and guidance:
If you believe you or someone you know is at immediate risk of losing money to a scam or doorstep criminal, contact the police directly on 999.
Contact Citizens Advice for help and advice on 0808 223 1133 or on the Citizens Advice website
www.citizensadvice.org.uk
You can also report incidents to Trading Standards directly at trading.standards@bromley.gov.uk
Contact your bank’s fraud team if you think you’ve been scammed: Call 159 – Stop Scams UK
www.stopscamsuk.org.uk/our-work/159-phone-number/
If you have been tricked into sending money by bank payment, check out the Toolkit and UK Finance Authorised Push Payment Fraud guidance for more information on recovering lost money
www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/been-scammed
See the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) website for advice on hiring gardeners
www.rhs.org.uk/garden-design/hiring-gardeners-contractors
Report fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting the Report Fraud website
www.reportfraud.police.uk
Request a No Cold Caller sticker from Trading Standards at trading.standards@bromley.gov.uk
Visit our webpage for more Trading Standards advice
www.bromley.gov.uk/tradingstandards
For general information about scams in various languages, visit the Friends Against Scams website
www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/resources-and-materials
Bromley Trading Standards
To keep up with the latest scam alerts and warnings from Bromley Trading Standards sign up on www.bromley.gov.uk/ScamAlertSignUpForm.
Bromley Trading Standards also run a fair-trader directory to help you find a safe, reliable trader that you can trust. Visit www.bromley.gov.uk/tradingstandardschecked to learn more.