Doorstep sellers and rogue traders
Never deal with any cold callers.
Cold callers for any property repairs will invariably charge excessively high prices for unnecessary and poor quality work. Whether it is for roofing, driveways, security alarms, wall coatings, walk in showers, gardening, double glazing, fascia's and guttering, or solar panels - if it is a cold caller at the door or on the phone, they will usually be looking to rip you off.
The same is likely to be true of cold callers for the sale of goods; in particular, disabled aids and mobility equipment as many residents mistakenly believe the caller is from Social Services or the NHS.
If you are thinking about buying expensive equipment or disabled aids then please seek impartial advice. Find out more through our equipment section.
See also the cold calling section on the home and garden security page for some helpful tips on what to do if someone calls at your door.
Rogue traders
It is a sad fact of life that bogus traders and fraudsters will deliberately target the elderly and vulnerable in order to rip them off.
Bogus traders operating door-to-door will often take advantage of poor weather conditions to offer their services, including flooding and high winds, which may have caused damage to your property.
You can also go to our scams page for some useful information on being scam aware.
Age UK has some useful crime prevention information and advice to help minimise the risk of being targeted by burglars or scammers.
What are your rights?
If you do purchase goods or services from a doorstep seller, you still have rights.
Citizens Advice has further information, including: