The Isle of Man Office of Fair Trading is advising householders not to employ traders who make unsolicited visits to their homes offering to do home improvements, as cold calling is illegal on the Island.
Householders approached by unscrupulous traders, who cold-call, are often persuaded to accept their offer because they initially appear to be cheaper than genuine traders and can begin work straightaway.
These types of traders can be very persistent, pestering householders into having unnecessary work done and have even been known to take their victims to the bank to secure payment. They may offer special deals, do not readily take no for an answer and may carry out poor quality work using sub-standard materials.
John Peet, Head of Isle of Man Office of Fair Trading, offers these tips to the public to avoid becoming the victim a cold-calling trader:
- Do not deal with traders who call at your house without an appointment offering to do work
- Do not be pressurised into having unnecessary work done.
- Do not fall for comments such as 'we’ve got some tarmac left over from a big job'
- Do not part with a significant amount of cash up front
- Do call the Trading Standards Division on 686520 or the police, if you feel you have been approached by a cold-calling trader
Friends, neighbours and relatives of the elderly and vulnerable should make them aware of the advice, that cold-calling is illegal.
