Geordie Jokers
06 Feb 2010
Newcastle-upon-Tyne is home to more rogue tradesmen than
anywhere else in the country, according to new research.
Workmen in the north east city are more likely to botch their work
than anywhere else in the country, with 54 per cent of Geordie
customers left with a badly finished job.
Eighty-six per cent of Newcastle residents claimed they have been
left waiting by a tradesman who turned up late, while another 57
per cent said one failed to arrive at all.
And more than three quarters have also been left to clear up the
mess left behind by a workman.
Second place in the poll, of 3,000 people who have had to call in
a tradesman, went to Exeter, where 46 per cent of people said their
contractors didn't do the job properly.
Southampton came third in the poll with more than 45 per cent of
the customers unhappy, followed by Liverpool and London.
Roman Russocki, Chief Executive of TrustMark, the Government
backed, not for profit quality mark for tradesmen, which carried
out the poll, said: ''For many, it's expensive to get tradesmen in
to do work in your home, so it's really important that the job is
done well.
''But unfortunately, not all tradesmen work to the same high
standards, with those in Newcastle seemingly worse than most on
average.
"Of course it only takes a few rogues to give everyone a bad name
but one way of preventing any disappointment is to do your research
before hiring someone to do a job in your home," he said.
Sheffield is home to the most honest and trustworthy workmen, with
two thirds of residents saying they have never had to fix a botched
job left behind by a rogue trader.
One in five people from the South Yorkshire city were completely
satisfied with the finished job and rather than having to wait in,
45 per cent said the worker actually turned up early.
And 84 per cent would happily recommend their tradesman to friends
or family.
Workmen in Belfast came second, with 63 per cent saying they were
completely happy with their work, followed by Bristol, Leeds and
Cambridge traders.
Researchers found that 43 per cent of Brits have hired a tradesman
to do a job in their home, and been left with a botched jobs
they've had to spend an average of £364.90 to put right.
And builders were named as the workmen most likely to leave behind
a bad job, followed by plumbers, roofers, decorators and
plasterers.
But it's not just botched jobs people have to put up with as 82
per cent have had a tradesman turn up late for a job, while 59 per
cent have had someone fail to turn up at all.
One in 10 even said a workman had failed to come back after taking
a lunch break.
41 per cent of people have had a tradesman turn up early.
Roman Russocki added: "Asking friends and neighbours - or indeed
getting references from previous customers can help you to get an
idea of the work a particular workman has done in the past and
means you can hopefully rely on him to do the same in your
home.
"In addition, the TrustMark website lists thousands of reliable,
trustworthy tradesmen, making it easy to help avoid the rogues and
cowboys out there''.
Top ten cities with most rogue tradesmen
- Newcastle
- Exeter
- Southampton
- Liverpool
- London
- Manchester
- Aberdeen
- Glasgow
- Cardiff
- Plymouth
Top ten cities with least rogue tradesman
- Sheffield
- Belfast
- Bristol
- Leeds
- Cambridge
- Oxford
- Coventry
- Brighton
- Portsmouth
- Swansea
Tradesmen most likely to leave jobs
unfinished/botched
- Builders
- Plumbers
- Roofers
- Painters and decorators
- Plasterers
- Electricians
- Gas fitters/engineers
- Tilers
- Garden landscapers
- Glaziers