09-11-2007
Cost of tradesmen queried by new survey
News by Adfero for Simply Business - independent providers of business insurance, business finance, landlord insurance, buy-to-let mortgages & commercial mortgages.
The cost effectiveness of the nation's tradesmen have been called into question by the results of a new survey.
Data released by advertising website gumtree.com has found that not only do one out of every ten people not really know the true cost of repairs, but 25 per cent believe themselves to have been financially exploited by a tradesman, reports the Press Association.
Moreover, a total of 11 per cent confessed to not really knowing the hourly rate charged by either a builder or a plumber. "The old adage that it pays to shop around is certainly true of tradesmen, with cost varying wildly across the UK for the same job," said Sophy Silver, a representative for gumtree.com. "Most of us don't have a clue how much we should be paying for basic repair jobs like a leaking tap, broken window and a handyman," she added.
The survey also found that, compared with other locations around the country, London is the most expensive city when it comes to hiring the services of a tradesman.
Established in 2000, gumtree.com initially specialised in London-orientated classified advertisements.