Dealing with Cold Callers: What to Ask

A lot of you are probably itching to get out into your garden and prepare it for the summer months and although there are a few small jobs you can do yourself, some of you may be considering employing a professional to carry out bigger jobs such as paving or fencing. Whether you are seeking a landscaper or not, you still need to be aware of cold callers persuading you to accept their landscaping services at a low price. Recently there have been a few cold calling incidents in the Thetford area where people are offering cheap landscaping services such as driveways and fencing. A few of these cold callers persuaded some residents to accept the work, which started immediately and a payment was required up front.

Sophie Leney the Trading Standards Manager for Norfolk County Council said “Our advice is never agree to have work done on your property if someone cold calls you, no matter how much of a bargain you think you might be getting. If you need something doing to your home or garden then rely on recommendations or through reputable channels such as Norfolk County Council’s Trusted Trader scheme.”

What you Need to Ask

Knights Paving & Landscaping is a Norfolk Trusted Trader ensuring you that we are a trustworthy and reputable company, offering an excellent service to our customers. To help you avoid cold callers or an unreliable company here are a few questions you should be asking any company when work is being done on your home.

• Are they a Norfolk Trusted Trader or an established company?
• Do they have testimonials from previous projects?
• Do they have examples of previous work?
• Are you being pressured into a decision?
• What accreditations does the company have?
• Are you required to put down a deposit?
• Is it a fixed price quotation?
• Do they use their own staff or employ sub-contractors?
• What insurance do they have?
• What guarantees are you receiving for materials and labour?
• Do they have samples of the materials they will be using?

We hope these questions help you to avoid landing up with a cold caller or a misleading company. In the meantime, if you have any landscaping ideas or a project you are planning, please feel free to contact us on 01603 360548 or drop us an email at enquiries@knightslandscaping.co.uk.