DP hired door to door tradesman on the spot

[Helpwithsnorer]

So the gutters were in need of cleaning and it's a job we've been meaning to get round to. Only moved to the area recently and hadn't found anyone to do it yet.

Someone knocked on the door earlier offering to do it, he had just done the house across the road and saw ours needed doing. DP said yes on the spot, but then they said some repairs were also needed (which we expected tbh) so he agreed to that too. Then once they were up there they apparently found a crack in the roof that needed repair and he agreed to let them do that too.

I wasn't home when they called, I arrived in when these guys were already up their ladders doing the work. I thought DP was completely naive agreeing to all this work on the spot. No company name, no logos on their van or anything. I'd never have said yes as I know it could be scammers, but DP thought it was a job that needs doing so may as well take them up on the offer. The whole lot cost £350

Are these door to door guys ever legit or is it nearly always a scam or shoddy work?

As far as we can tell the work looks ok. I've googled the guy's name and can't find much about him.

DP thinks I'm worrying over nothing and I think he has been very foolish.

YABU - DP is right, the job got done and everything is fine.
YANBU - DP has been had.

Good workmen/women are run off their feet with jobs, and really don't need to bother with the "I was just working up the road and happened to notice that your roof/driveway/gutters/chimney/windows need attention" nonsense.

Cash in hand with no recourse if something goes wrong/they deliberately break other stuff.

No thanks.

Where we live tradesmen who are any good have a long waiting list. The only ones who have to knock on doors are ones who are useless (or con men )

Chances are whilst they will charge you a fiat price die this job, they will be up there and damages something that will become a big job and you may even be menaced by them
as they add on more and more money.

Your husband is an utter fool to take them on. They may not be insured and it's possible they could claim off you instead if they have an accident etc.

Please don't let him answer the door again.

Next week he'll probably let it slip that you're now all Jehovah's Witnesses such is his gullibility.

Argh, my husband did the exact same a couple of months back. Guy knocked at the door saying he was working nearby, could see our gutter needed clearing, yadda yadda. DH let him do it, of course then they came back with a list of other things that needed doing, as was obviously the point of the whole thing. Luckily I was out and so DH took his card and said he would discuss with me, and of course I hit the roof when I came in. I just don’t get it, he’s an intelligent bloke with a very responsible job and reputable companies do not tout door to door for work. He did the same about 10 years ago when a ‘struggling artist’ knocked at our door selling Chinese factory oil paintings - let him in and took about half an hour to get rid of him! I try and answer the door if possible now, as I have compunction in telling people to fuck off (politely of course!).

Yeah I wish I had been home at the time!

He did see them working on the house across the road to be fair.

Your DH was a muppet. It’s basic adulting never to do what he did. Best case scenario (fingers crossed for you) you have clean(er) gutters, they didn’t damage anything and you were taken for around £150.

This ^^

Depending on where you live £350 sounds a bit high for clearing a gutter/replacing a roof tile (?), but it's also a LOT lower than some scammers try to charge - I've heard of pensioners being taken for thousands

Overall though I just wouldn't give work to doorknockers - simply too much risk

I don't think I'd have fallen for the crack in the roof line. I would have at least asked for evidence. My gutter cleaning cost £25 but that was just at the front.

This

I would not nowadays but when I was much younger and naive I did it twice. Both when the job needed doing and I thought it would save the hassle of finding someone.

Group of kids about 4 of them came up when I was in front garden and did I want the car washed? I thought what’s the harm, they looked around 11-12 yrs old. How much? £3 so I thought bargain. Where’s your outside tap, it is just there past side gate. I went back in and walked in to kitchen, and saw 2 of them trying the back door handle but it was locked, they saw me, grinned and ran back out front. I thought oh they are dodgy and come to think of it, they have hard faces and expressions, not like normal kids……I did not say anything, let them wash it and handed over the £3. It’s £3 each they said! I handed it over and thought oh so clever! But gave the money to get rid of them, lesson learned. They didn’t even have a sponge, bucket, soap, I provided it!

other time, man, Irish accent, and his son, term time, aged maybe 12 yrs old with van said did I want garage roof power washed as it had lichen on, £200 cash. Maybe it was the kid that made me less wary. I had the cash and said yes. He worked like trooper, the kid was frozen soaked in his clothes. 3 hours as it was tough stuff and he used his own petrol fuel to run the machine, did a good job. Came to the door and said £250, I said no you said £200? Nope he said, so I paid the £250. That’s what pissed me off., as I had a new in packet track suit for a change of clothes for the child and a little tip for him too, but I did not give it over, as that little dishonesty put me off them. I asked for his card and he said ‘in a minute’ but he didn’t fetch one.

I'm not a builder or architect but - wtf is a crack in the roof!

Roofs are tiled and the tiles go onto battens. There may be missing tiles, but there will not be a crack in the roof!

Think the cost is reasonable

He’s been scammed.

I’m having all my gutters replaced with powder coated aluminium seamless ones this week for £1100. I think £350 for your gutters cleaning and “repairs”, is expensive. I am in the north though.

I would by dubious about any repairs having been completed.

Sounds like a classic scam artist tbh. Sorry. We have only just rectified an issue caused by a door to door roofer who painted a perfectly good roof and then the paint ruined the tiles causing a lot of damage (this was done to the previous owner who was very old and didn't detect the cowboy trader). Your dh made a very silly decision.

Not necessarily a scam but all decent trades that I've every come across don't need to tout for trade by going door to door. In fact the best people are turning work away.

I had a local company, someone from checkatrade do my gutters, they overcharged cash and when dh got on a ladder and checked they were hardly/poorly cleared. Had a bunch of 100% reviews. I tried to leave an average (not even poor)review, it did not appear on checkatrade, so I can only assume the site is rigged.

My 87 year old Dad was scammed by cold callers. Told him he had a tile missing and needed repairs. Charged him £3000 then said something else needed doing urgently and charged another £2500. The bank called the police when Dad returned and tried to withdraw another £3000! 😡😡😡 I think the men were caught but Dad never received the money back and never really recovered his faith in humanity. He didn't admit it to me for months as he was too ashamed. If he'd have phoned me, I'd have told him it was a classic scam.

Your hubby is a mug.