Consumer Editor Emma McKinney meets the Midland duo behind a new website that vows to fight rogue traders.

THREATS of violence, extortionate bills and shoddy work – just a few of the things some consumers claim they have experienced at the hands of cowboy builders.

The fact is that most of us, unequipped with the necessary skills ourselves, will need to call upon the services of trades people at some point in our lives, be it a plumber, electrician or builder.

We will assume they know exactly what they are doing and trust them to do a good job and charge a fair rate, but sometimes people’s experiences go horribly wrong and they are left paying hundreds or thousands of pounds more to rectify the work of a rogue trader.

And according to new research by Budget Van Insurance, we’re not helping ourselves, with 59 per cent of the people they quizzed in a survey admitting they never check a trade person’s qualifications and 49 per cent saying they only get one quote for a job, two fewer than the three recommended by consumer watchdogs Trading Standards.

The battle is also to find someone to do the job, with 48 per cent surveyed saying they struggled to find a good builder.

Now a website launched by Midland duo Andrew Manners and Bal Mattu promises to take the hassle out of finding a trades person and reduce the risk of hiring a rogue.

The pair came up with the idea of www.comcero.com after Bal experienced problems trying to do up his own home.

“Bal experienced lots of problems finding people to do the work through the conventional ways of trawling the internet and phone book,” says Andrew Manners, co-founder and business development director of Comcero.

He says the site, which has taken three years to create and has been backed with funding from Advantage West Midlands and Business Link Birmingham, is simple to use.

“Comcero is a website that removes the need for consumers to hunt around for the best tradesman and it gives trades people a place to find work,” adds the 45-year-old, who hails from Harborne in Birmingham and now lives in Solihull.

“Consumers just register on the site and post details about a job they need doing, which can be big or small and anything from having a patio done to a full extension.