TrustMark Blog

As an electrician you’ve probably encountered heaps of disastrous and somewhat dangerous electrical messes left behind from previous traders. You might even be left to clean up the mess! But when horror stories are picked up in the press, what many people don’t realise is that rogue traders are the exception, not the rule

As we hit the colder winter months, you won’t be alone if you find a slow-down in work coming through the door. In the run-up to Christmas, many people will be counting the pennies and splashing out less on home improvements – but this could end up costing them more in the long run if they leave a faulty boiler undetected!

Let me just say that before I start this blog, I am most definitely not an expert in home design, structural engineering, materials technology or environmental science. What I do know is that we are approaching the time of year when, for a large number of households, the dreaded “C” word starts to be mentioned and it can have a devastating impact on day-to-day life. The word is condensation.

Have you ever thought about expanding your business’ visibility by setting up your own website? It’s a meaty task, and with such a busy career to juggle anyway, it’s easy to understand why you might never find the time to get round to it.

I set up my own company, Karl Terry Roofing Contractors Ltd in 1993 in Wittersham, Kent after working for my Dad’s company previously. I felt there was a gap in the market for a traditional company with traditional values. I’m proud of our commitment to customer service, and I find that by setting out clear goals and expectations with my customers from the beginning, unforeseen circumstances are avoided further down the line.

It isn’t long now until the clocks go back and that means winter is almost here. I had a real taste of winter last week on a fascinating trip to Iceland where it continually rained for five days and the temperature peaked at ten degrees centigrade during the day. So, at this time of year, you really need to make sure that your home is ready and you are properly prepared for the next few months.

Trading Standards Officers across the UK deal with thousands and thousands of complaints and enquiries every year on a massive range of subjects. It could be a problem with counterfeit goods, unsafe electrical products, goods that break down too quickly or the inevitable problems with rogue traders.

Today we see the return of Gas Safety week, a national campaign driving awareness of Gas safety measures to reduce injuries and deaths caused by faulty gas equipment. The campaign is running from 19-25th September and sees the sixth consecutive year of raising awareness of gas safety and driving home safety.

For this week’s blog, I decided to turn my attention to carpets and wondered how well the carpet retail sector was currently doing. In my home, I switched from carpet to laminate flooring a long time ago and I have to say that it still looks as good as new, with the exception of a few dents and scratches.

Earlier this year, TrustMark announced it had partnered with CFOA BlueWatch, the UK’s leading home safety scheme, to improve and promote home safety for domestic and commercial properties. Having previously helped set up BlueWatch before starting here at TrustMark 2 years ago, I have a strong passion for this industry and think everyone needs to be made aware of the importance of home safety.