Devon and Somerset Trading Standards is reminding the public to stay alert to rogue traders after residents are conned out of thousands of pounds.
The shoddy work cost victims thousands more to make good the poor standard of work.
The Trading Standards service has received a number of complaints about unsolicited visits from doorstep traders, including one that claimed to be from Somerset Highways, offering gardening, building and driveway works.
The complaints refer to poor quality work, excessive costs, and even sometimes to elderly people being driven to the bank...
A benefit cheating South Devon builder has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for fraud and money laundering offences.
Appearing at Exeter Crown Court, 46 year old Darren Scott of Hele Road, Kingsteignton, was sentenced following investigations led by Devon and Somerset Trading Standards Team.
The court heard how, over an eight month period in 2011, Mr Scott deliberately targeted a vulnerable 85 year old pensioner from Okehampton, charging her over £20,000 for building work on their home. When assessed by a qualified surveyor, much of the work was found to be...
A 54-year-old North Devon plumbing and heating engineer has been sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of fraud and consumer protection charges. Gary Henry, of Anstey Way, Instow, stood trail at Exeter Crown Court on three charges of Fraud and three charges of contravening Professional Diligence under Consumer Protection legislation. Devon and Somerset Trading Standards Team launched an investigation into Mr Henry, who had been a plumber for 30 years alongside his job as a professional firefighter, following a number of complaints about his work. The court heard how,...
People are being urged to check with their insurance firms before paying traders for household repair works.
In one recent case, a trader charged £11,000 for work that the insurance company then declined to reimburse, because they valued the work at under £2,000.
Devon and Somerset Trading Standards has issued the warning, stating that consumers can be left out of pocket when insurance companies don't reimburse the full amount paid to a trader.
The situation can be avoided, say Trading Standards Officers, by following simple steps before committing to work....
Devon and Somerset Trading Standards has launched a new 'Buy with Confidence' website that aims to protect buyers - and an award-winning solar business is backing its campaign all the way. Marsh-Barton-based SunGift Energy, which is the UK Solar Installer of the Year, frequently encounters renewable energy installers and other tradespeople that do poor quality work, and the company believes that more householders must made be aware of where they can go to find a reliable company. "We’re in favour of anything that helps protect buyers and rid the world of rogue traders," said Gabriel...
A man has been found guilty of offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 after failing to improve the squalid conditions he kept his ponies and dogs in, despite several warnings and advice from Devon and Somerset Trading Standards, the Police, the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare.
Leslie Weatherill, 73, of Ide appeared before Exeter Magistrates Court.
The court heard how Mr Weatherill kept his ponies on an area of scrub and woodland near Doddiscombsleigh which, according to a national expert on horses, was inadequate for their needs and so their welfare was severely...
An Exeter man has been sentenced for supplying illicit tobacco and DVDs following an investigation by Devon and Somerset Trading Standards service.
Philip Martin, 62, of Masefield Road, Exeter was charged with selling, and having available to supply, tobacco which did not have the legally required health warnings or the appropriate duty paid markings; and possessing a number of counterfeit DVDs with the intention to sell them.
The court also heard that the tobacco sold by Mr Martin was counterfeit.
Appearing yesterday, Monday 9th March, at Exeter Magistrates Court,...
Thousands of items of counterfeit “Frozen” merchandise, including dolls and costumes, have been seized in Barnstaple and Ilfracombe by Devon and Somerset Trading Standards service.
Investigations are continuing, but the authorities have issued a warning , alerting people to the potential dangers.
“We are concerned that children could be playing with these potentially dangerous dolls or wearing costumes which are highly flammable,” says Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Trading Standards service.
Business owners across Devon and Cornwall are being asked to sign up to a new scheme which helps crime victims.
Businesses that are already members of the Trading Standards’ Buy With Confidence scheme have been invited to become a ‘trusted provider’ of services to victims of crime.
In April 2015 Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg will take over responsibility for commissioning victims’ services and this new initiative sees the OPCC team up with Devon and Cornwall Business Council (DCBC) and Trading Standards to create a trusted link between victims and businesses....
The owner of a Kingsbridge garage has been fined £5,000 after pleading guilty to two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, relating to the sale of a Citroen Campervan.
Appearing at Newton Abbot Magistrates Court, Derek Jones, who owns Firtree Garage, was fined £2,500 on each count, ordered to pay full costs of £1,376 and a victim surcharge of £120.
Mr Jones admitted misleading his first victim by stating the vehicle was in “very good order” when it had 42 defects and 26 individual MOT fail items, and also failing to show professional...
