We have all been there. We hire a trader from the local directory, they come round and offer an estimate. It sounds good and we hire. They usually brow beat you into telling you the work needs doing. The job is well worth the money you are going to pay.
Upon completion, sometimes there are some concerns about quality of the job, dates of completitions, unexpected amounts on invoices…
You wonder: how can I find trustworthy trades people with a good reputation? For decades in the UK, many customers have relied on word of mouth or recommendations from other customers on website review pages. This can be reliable but it still has its limitations.
Websites that may help
Finding a trader in your area might be easier than you think. There are plenty of national websites – directories with plenty of reliable and checked traders such as: Trustedtraders.which.co.uk, Checkatrade.com, Trustatrader.com, Trustpilot.com or Verifiedtrades.co.uk.
All traders are checked, fully insured and have reviews on their profiles. Google maps are also very helpful nowadays. Some of the traders have profiles and reviews on a few websites. Ensure that Your trader is DBS checked.
Searching those websites can help you geographically locate a trader who has a good reputation and is local.
Paul is a local entrepreneur, founder, and lead security expert at WG Locksmiths Ltd, proudly based in Beckenham and serving South East London for over 10 years. Having completed extensive training with the Master Locksmiths Association (MLA) and operating as a fully DBS-checked professional, Paul has built his reputation on transparency, quality workmanship, and zero call-out charges. As a long-standing, vetted member of both Checkatrade and TrustATrader, he has successfully secured over 6,000 local properties and helped more than 3,500 clients. Backed by over 1,250 5-star reviews, Paul specializes in everything from traditional British Standard locks to advanced smart security (Ultion, Yale, Ring).