The BBC’s Inside Out TV programme has tested websites claiming to offer vetted and trustworthy workmen, and found that some do not carry out due diligence in ensuring their listings include only honest traders.
An investigation on the BBC programme Inside Out has revealed that unqualified workers can easily list themselves on some websites designed to connect consumers with reliable tradespeople. MyBuilder and Rated People both posed no challenge to reporter Phillip Norton, who set up the bogus company Inside and Out Property Services in Grimsby and successfully joined the two websites’ databases of traders as a handyman. To make the business appear legitimate, the programme rented business premises and established a website, email address, phone number, and social media footprint.
“We went to some lengths to make Inside and Out Property Services appear like a legitimate company. But it turned out very little of that was needed,” says Phillip Norton.
“I was incredibly surprised by just how easy it was to get signed up and how simple it was to award myself a reliable-looking five star rating and positive feedback. With the help of friends and false email addresses, I could set up fake work, apply for it, and build myself a trustworthy profile.”
The show also invented qualifications and public liability insurance, all of which was bogus, but was listed on Phillip’s profile without being checked. This is a prime concern for many bone fide tradespeople, such as Paul Holmes, a plumber and heating engineer in Hull who featured on the programme. Paul said the websites are cashing in on trust:
“Trust is something you build up with your customers, not with a £400 joining fee for a website. People trust it when, really, you would be better off talking to your friends and going off past experiences, not a review that you could easily write yourself.”
Kevin Wellman, CEO of the CIPHE, says that these online portals are damaging to legitimate services that properly vet those listed as ‘trustworthy traders’. He comments:
“Loopholes which allow unscrupulous and fraudulent ‘tradespeople’ to advertise on such websites need to be closed, not just for the sake of the consumer, but for the honest tradesperson too. This is why only CIPHE members who hit specific criteria can join our directory database and be found on our online ‘Find a Plumber’ tool.”
Mike Andrews, Group Chief Executive of NAPIT, says: “It is shocking to hear how easy it is to register with websites like Rated People or MyBuilder without providing any evidence that they are capable of carrying out work competently. At NAPIT, we require not only that each Registered Installer has the appropriate qualifications, but that they can continue to prove their competence during regular on-site assessments.”
