Brits robing Brits - Page 8

Matt Wilkie sorted my boiler thoughn Igor. Clean, on time and perfect install. 

Rather than a section naming and shaming businesses and all the potential issues that could create.  Why not a section recommending tradespeople by trade.  This, by default could help people avoid 'cowboys' and would certainly help the better ones get more work and the less professional either get better or not get work at all.

That would be extremely helpful, as recommendations are the best way for people/businesses to get more work.

As long as no “fake” recommendations are given (as per various TripAdvisor posts) then this option would work fine

Hi there, this is a good idea and why we have our Recommended tradesman forum - we recommend members use this to recommend tradesman they have used so other members can avoid any bad ones.

Hi everyone.

It's such a shame reading this post I suppose the perceived lack of regulations or the relatively  soft approach to enforcing them would attract the cowboys.

I'm planning on moving to Torrevieja in the next two years with my wife who has been giving a preliminary job offer by Kings College.

As a GAS SAFE registered gas engineer and NICEIC registered domestic electrician I know that the cowboys are here too and they give the whole industry a bad name.

Can I ask if anyone ever asks to check the qualifications? The first thing I do in the UK is show my I.D  badge at the door with the relevant qualifications.

Could you not ask the British tradesman for some proof of their experience, maybe an email to an old employer or an old I'D card.

I'm planning to spend the next year learning Spanish so I can transfer my tickets to the Spanish equivalent and register with correct regulatory bodies, although I've read this can be expensive at the start as I'll need to pay even if I'm not earning and might be better off waiting until I have a few customers.

I must say I'm slightly worried that the cowboys are going to make it impossible for me to work before I get there.

Can anyone give me some advice of any agencies I can register with or anyway to prove reliability.

Many thanks 

Lee.

Hi Lee

The costa has been plagued with cowboys for years and its now only tightened up in the last couple of years .be prepared to be ripped off by estate agents who are the worst culprits and every other brit who goes the Spain as a decorator and ends up down there as a master builder.the problem is trying to sue via the court's it can take years .

Best of luck and remember Dont trust anybody.

Run a construction company in Bristol uk looking to do work over there start small by painting homes and see how it g 

Has anybody had any contact with a company called "Pool in a box" possibly from the El Campello district?

Hi all,we are at this moment looking to relocate in the Alicante area and have a house in Salinas on our short list ,I’m 60yrs old and a builder in the UK,I have been self employed in London for 40yrs and have never advertised,if I’m about to pull the trigger on a €400,000 home in Salinas I may as well think again as I was hoping to carry on applying my trades here,sorry to hear some people have been ripped off but that happens the World over.

Hi Graham

The forums will have specific experiences which, sadly, are not uncommon. There are still good tradespeople amongst us, but, the poor experiences make people cynical and cautious.

Your reasons for pulling out will purely be your own, however, my word of warning is that please do not come out here thinking you can make a living unless... a) You are fluent in Spanish, b) You are happy to go fully legal c) You are prepared to give it up to 2 years in order to get yourself established.

There are of course caveats to my points above, lots of folk are happy to work on 'black money' and pay no tax etc, not too bad if its a bit of pin money and it is not your main income, however, it is a storyline that keeps on repeating itself where all sorts of tradespeople come over thinking they are going to make their millions, it just isn't like that.

This forum is full of advice for all sorts of topics I imagine you are looking to understand. My advice would be that if you need to work when you come out here then you need to also have an amount in the bank to keep you going for a couple of years.

I am not trying to rain on your parade, nor am I looking to dissuade you from making the move. It is a wonderful way of life in Spain, I could spend a long time giving you the benefits, which I am sure you already know, but I would urge you to have a reality check and be very realistic about things.

Hope it helps

Good luck with your journey, I wish you every success