Its
often at times like these that the buying
public are warned to use a member of a
trade body such as the UK Timber Frame
Association (UKTFA), however, that doesn't
offer any financial protection and just
shows the business takes an interest in
their industry.
Sadly,
you have to satisfy yourself that the
company you are using has the ability
to back up it's promises. Just choosing
the company with the longest trading history
isn't enough, as no one has been immune
during this recession, with some of the
longest established and best known suppliers
going to the wall.
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We'd
love to be able to say 'don't pay us a
penny' until your frame is complete. In
reality, we can't do this, as unlike a
pallet of bricks, your Timber Frame is
unique to your project and effectively
worthless if your circumstances were to
change and you couldn't take delivery.
Deposits are a must to protect the supplier.
We
suggest that you contact your local Trading
Standards Office and ask if there are
any reports on the company you plan to
use and to do an on-line search using
terms linked to the company's name, eg
Joe Bloggs scam, Joe Bloggs complaint
etc. etc.
The
scariest situation is that you get caught
in a 'scam'. We know of suppliers in this
industry (and of course others) who seem
to declare bankruptcy on a regular basis
only to rise like a phoenix, trading from
the same premises with a new name and
the same staff with no debts claiming
to be the next big thing. Its very difficult
to spot these companies, but they sometimes
offer prices way below their competitors,
and are in effect buying turnover. We're
not saying don't use the company who is
cheapest, but we are saying tread carefully
if it seems too good to be true.
The UKTFA have recently clamped down on
this, and new companies wanting to join
must now prove a minimum of one years
successful trading before being admitted
to the Association. In our opinion this
doesn't go far enough, but its a start,
and Solo Timber Frame will be campaigning
to tighten up even further.
Of
course, this problem is not just confined
to the Timber Frame industry or even the
wider Construction Industry. Every business
sector has its rogues and sadly there
is no one to protect you.
You must do everything in your power to
protect yourself!
Solo
have been members of the UKTFA since 2007
and one if it's Directors sits on its
Marketing and PR Commitee and the Self
Build Commitee. We're also the only Timber
Frame Supplier in the UK who are members
of the Trading Standards 'Buy with Confidence
Scheme'.
In order to join a number of checks must
be completed by the Assesor, including:
• Taking references from up to 10
previous clients chosen at random by the
Assesor
• Undertaking Criminal Records Bureau
Checks on key members of staff
• Auditing our internal systems
•
Checking that our Insurance policys are
suitable
• Checking our contracts are fair
• Ensuring we comply with not only
the letter of the law, but also the spirit
of the law
See
http://www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk/
for further details
