Helping the vulnerable (From York Press)

Helping the vulnerable

9:25am Friday 1st June 2012 in Letters

I WAS pleased to read that Trading Standards is supporting moves to protect vulnerable people who may be taken in by conmen (The Press, May 28).

I would never describe myself as vulnerable, but events of late have proven that even I can be “had”.

Some years ago I was ripped off by an alleged UPVC specialist. Thanks to the help I received from Trading Standards, I successfully took the company to court and won. Then, some five years ago when I was presented with a bill for £360 for the installation of a dishwasher, I was ripped off again. Only when the dishwasher broke down recently and I called in a reputable plumber did I find out exactly how. The other example of bad workmanship occurred this week when after noticing that the cushionfloor in my kitchen was developing cracks I got someone in to put in a new floor, only to discover that the last three layers of cushion floor were all laid on top of one another – hence the cracks and a badly fitting door.

So good luck to Trading Standards. Readers who suspect they are being taken advantage of should not hesitate to contact them.

Liz Edge, Parkside Close, York.