Gardening Scams - Trading Standards

21st June 2024

At this time of year there is always an increase in scams related to gardening and landscaping, where cold callers offer to cut trees, tidy gardens or clear gutters They often ask for money on the spot, either as a deposit or to pay for materials, but don't return to complete the work.

Here are some recent case studies:
Cold callers visited several properties around Inverness, offering to cut and tidy trees. One man felt pressured into agreeing to have work done and paid £1,800 to have some trees at the back of his garden cut. Once the work had been completed, the trader increased the price to £3,500. The man was not happy with the quality of work, but again felt pressured to pay the extra money.

Two men visited a couple's property in the Borders at around 9am and offered to carry out some work in the garden, including trimming trees. The couple, who are in their 70s, agreed and paid them £60.
The men cut a couple of branches and left by 9.30am, saying that they had to get rid of the garden waste as they didn't have enough room in their van. They didn't return and the couple was unable to contact them as they hadn't left any details.

Cold callers knocked on a pensioner's door in Dunfermline and offered to carry out some gardening work, including cutting trees and tidying the lawn for £350. The resident agreed and paid the full amount, before leaving for an appointment.
When he returned later that afternoon, the men had left without carrying out any of the work agreed

How to Avoid
Any unsolicited trader who offers to carry out work on your property must give you their business name and address.
Don't agree to let a cold caller start work straight away - do plenty of research into their company and, if something doesn’t look right, don’t deal with them

Rather than dealing with cold callers, find traders who have been vetted through a national or local authority approved trader scheme at https://approvedtrader.scot.

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.

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

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