OFT warns homeowners about rogue trader costs

Consumers looking to follow careful money management practices should be wary about employing rogue doorstep canvassers, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) suggests.

The organisation believes that work carried out by such traders can leave householders with large bills for home improvements they may not even require.

It claims that doorstep traders may have caused problems for almost three million UK consumers, suggesting that they may not be such a good option for people with a bad credit history looking to get work done cheaply.

"Hasty decisions made on the doorstep can sometimes result in agreeing to work that isn't necessary, [or] that turns out to be more expensive than quoted," according to Michele Shambrook of the OFT.

Meanwhile, the problems caused by 'cowboy' building firms have also been highlighted by the Liberal Democrat politician Vince Cable during a debate in parliament which took place earlier this week.