Trading Standards Warning - Doorstep Scams - Driveways

4th May 2023

This week, the Shut Out Scammers campaign is focused on maintenance and home improvement scams.
In one recent case, cold callers knocked on a man's door and offered to fill the potholes in his driveway with tarmac. They said that they could offer it at a reduced cost because they were working elsewhere and their machine 'needed to be drained'.
They quoted around £1,500 to fill the potholes and resurface a path and the man agreed that they could go ahead with the work.
The workers then covered the driveway and path with gravel rather than tarmac and increased the price to £2,700.

The man eventually agreed to pay £2,000 as he felt threatened by the workers. He was later unable to find any information about their company or any contact details for them.

Similarly, an older couple was recently visited by cold callers who offered to power wash their driveway, quoting £800.
They agreed, but as the work was carried out, the workers kept raising the price, saying that they needed extra materials.
A neighbour asked the workers to leave - they did so, but were later seen targeting other older people in the area.

We have published a video featuring a case study from a Scottish consumer who was cold called by rogue traders who said they had been working for the local council and had some tarmac left over with which they could resurface his driveway. Although they said the materials were free, they ended up charging him £9,000 for labour costs.

How to Avoid
Rather than dealing with cold callers, find traders who have been vetted through a national or local authority approved trader scheme.

If a trader starts work on your property without being authorised and then demands payment, report them to Police Scotland.

Always take time to think before making a decision - don't agree to make any payments for goods or services on the spot. Do plenty of research and get at least 3 quotes and check 3 review sites before having any work carried out.

Sign up for Neighbourhood Watch Scotland Alerts to stay up to date with what is going on in your community: www.neighbourhoodwatchscotland.co.uk

Report any suspicious behaviour to Police Scotland on 101 or 999 in an emergency. If you have concerns about a purchase that you have made, contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or via scamwatch.scot

Find out More
Find traders in Scotland who have been vetted by Trading Standards: www.trustedtrader.scot
Police Scotland: www.scotland.police.uk/doorstep-crime-and-bogus-callers
Trading Standards Scotland: www.tsscot.co.uk/priority-areas/doorstep-scammers