Who are Trustmark and What do they do?
DIY Doctor has long been at the forefront of the fight to rid the home repair, maintenance and improvement industry (RMI) of rogue traders and cowboy builders and have over the years developed our own Home Improver Protection Solution, to protect the public from unscrupulous tradesmen.
For many people, the simplest way of finding a tradesman has been to use the local phone book or in more recent years the internet. Internet searches will often bring up lead generation companies, all advertising local tradesmen that have signed up to their services. The drawback is of course not knowing if any of the tradesmen are any good!
In fact, DIY Doctor has worked with several lead generation companies in the past, and again have done our best to sort out the best of the bunch.
We believe that our search is now over!
DIY Doctor are pleased to be working with TrustMark who have many thousands of vetted, approved and registered tradesmen, all working to Government endorsed standards in the home improvement industry.
TrustMark is a government backed, not for profit, independent scheme owned and operated under license from the BIS (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) providing a quality mark for tradesmen. Launched in 2006, Trustmark is supported by consumer protection groups such as Consumer Protection Association, Office of Fair Trading and trading standards departments, and is a registered Social Enterprise.
TrustMark offers UK consumers access via its website to thousands of reliable, reputable local tradesmen. TrustMark has the largest database of accredited tradesmen across the UK, with in excess of 13,000 firms covering 20,000 trades. Users can find a local TrustMark tradesman by using the simple postcode and trade search on their website, or by calling their telephone helpline during normal office hours.
Tradespeople wishing to join TrustMark have to apply via scheme operators working in the RMI, which include trade associations, local government trading standards teams and independent scheme operators. For more information on joining up visit the Trustmark website
Scheme operators include Trade Associations such as Federation of Master Builders (FMB); Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF); National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRS); NICEIC (Electrical Contractors).
Why use a TrustMark tradesman?
Before any company can use the TrustMark logo, they are vetted and registered with a scheme operator. All have to be inspected on various elements, not just quality of work, but also on financial status and trading records, all of which are subject to on-going checks carried out by independent qualified inspectors.
They have to sign up to, and follow, a code of practice that includes insurance, health and safety best practices, good customer care, and have in place a simple user-friendly complaints procedure.
All firms are required to provide insurance backed warranties and deposit protection should the company cease trading. This insurance covers deposits, pre-payments and work in progress, plus a minimum of 2 years warranty on materials, design and workmanship.
On-going checks continue throughout membership which monitors quality of work though on-site inspections, trading practices and customer satisfaction.
Consumers can be sure that by using a tradesman registered with TrustMark that the firm has been inspected, approved and meets the Government endorsed criteria outlined above, giving them peace of mind and making cowboy builders a thing of the past.
