TrustMark Blog

Over the last few years, my blog has provided advice on what to do when things go wrong with a home improvement or repair contract that you may have entered into. The main theme of my advice has always been about communication – being clear with the trader about the nature of the problem, what you would like them to do to put it right and when it should be completed by.

On 3rd June, 7 of us will be throwing ourselves out of a plane at 10,000ft in aid of a great cause. We’ll be raising money for our local charity of choice, FareShare. Their efforts are spent redistributing surplus food that is of perfectly good quality but would otherwise go to waste, to those who need it most.

TrustMark receives calls day-in day-out from tradespeople with disputes over payments with their customers, and of course, we also get many calls from customers withholding payment because they have cause for concern over the work carried out. Efforts to keep both you and your customers happy and protected has probably up until now been rather fruitless. But there is good news which will stop things getting to this awkward stage, and what’s more there is a low-cost way that you can stabilise your income, which your customers will thank you for!

Those of us with mobile phones are now conditioned to the steady stream of speculative calls received from anonymous call centres. Sometimes they say we can claim compensation for a recent car accident and sometimes they say we can get big cash payments after signing up for payment protection insurance on an old loan or credit card.

April has been a scorcher so far and It’s looking hopeful for a long, fantastic British summer. One thing that does need a bit of TLC before the summer arrives however is my garden. I live in a rented property, which means the garden has lacked a lot of care and attention for goodness knows how long before I moved in.

It’s that time of year again when the sap is rising, the days are getting longer, temperatures are increasing and the prospect of a four day Easter break means that there is time to carry out some DIY. The external paintwork of your home may be looking cracked and flaky and a few days up a ladder may be required.

Now that spring has sprung with the daffodils coming through and trees in full blossom, some of us are thinking about moving home. It may be due to a growing family, caused by a new job in a different part of the country or maybe a downsizing exercise after children have finally moved out. Either way, selling your home can be an extremely intimidating and daunting task.

Home maintenance businesses that know about trading standards law and the obligations that they have to their customers are far more likely to succeed in the long term. They are going to treat their customers fairly, provide good service and probably generate more work through recommendations. This applies to the smallest sole trader right up to the biggest multi nationals.

This week is National Sleep Awareness week which means there’s one thing on our minds: bed! So how can you make sure you have a sound night’s sleep? It might be time to spruce up your dated bedroom décor and give it some loving care and attention.