Check-a-Trade

[yellowvanman]

Is it worth it? Does it work?

 

[Octopus]

How much do you currently spend on marketing?

I know 2 (plumbers) who were completely reliant on Check-a-trade for their leads and both now are struggling - they spend time doing countless quotes and the customers use and abuse them - then go for the cheapest price.

I'd avoid it if I were you.

£600 per year is a big spend!

 

[telectrix]

they seem to be better than rated people, but then, death by hanging is better tan rated people.

 

[Farmelectrics]

Another scam to me

 

[Guest77]

Check a trade---check a trade .com, lalalalala- lala:37:

 

[Johnuk]

all scams

 

[GMES]

Check a trade---check a trade .com, lalalalala- lala:37:

Hi Mike, have you been on the creamflow again Lol

 

[Plonker 3]

They are just another unnecessary money spinner for someone else. What's wrong with a phone book, using the internet or even a recommendation from someone else. Tradesman managed over hundreds of years between them before these parasites came along to allow you to pay them just to quote a job.

 

[GMES]

Parasites the lot of them, you will spend all day chasing your arse for no return.
Get out Banging on doors if your short of work.

 

[wozz]

some of the comments on here make me wonder if the posters know anything about check a trade.

 

[Plonker 3]

some of the comments on here make me wonder if the posters know anything about check a trade.

Care to expand on this comment?

 

[Octopus]

some of the comments on here make me wonder if the posters know anything about check a trade.

So what do you know then???

 

[shanky887614]

some of the comments on here make me wonder if the posters know anything about check a trade.

yup we do money grabbing parasites, there not bothered about quality of work and they want to pay next to nothing fir it.

pay peanuts get monkeys

 

[wozz]

'paying to quote for a job'

can you explain how check a trade differs from any other from of advertising in this respect?

 

[wozz]

So what do you know then???

as a ex member i know how it works. if you need to know go on their website if you need to know.

 

[wozz]

yup we do money grabbing parasites, there not bothered about quality of work and they want to pay next to nothing fir it.

pay peanuts get monkeys

erm whats peoples prices got to do with check a trade?

do yellow pages or the internet care about quality of work?

 

[Plonker 3]

'paying to quote for a job'

can you explain how check a trade differs from any other from of advertising in this respect?

so unless I am wrong and please correct me if I am, but you "buy" a lead that someone has put on there, then contact them to go and look at the job to then quote for it in the hope they choose you to carry out the work?

 

[Octopus]

as a ex member i know how it works. if you need to know go on their website if you need to know.

What a cop out answer.....

I wouldn't waste £50 per month on it!

 

[wozz]

so unless I am wrong and please correct me if I am, but you "buy" a lead that someone has put on there, then contact them to go and look at the job to then quote for it in the hope they choose you to carry out the work?

No its just a webpage that has a facility for a customer to leave feedback, customer contacts tradesman directly through email adress or your phone number.

 

[Plonker 3]

erm whats peoples prices got to do with check a trade?

do yellow pages or the internet care about quality of work?

no but they just provide a phone number, these sites claim they vet and check all the registered trademans work. The customer can then leave a review for your businesses, please could you tell me why non of these sites have any negative reviews for them?

 

[Plonker 3]

No its just a webpage that has a facility for a customer to leave feedback, customer contacts tradesman directly through email adress or your phone number.

So you pay no money at all to them?

 

[wozz]

What a cop out answer.....

I wouldn't waste £50 per month on it!

Ok so you dont know about it and you dont want to.

 

[wozz]

So you pay no money at all to them?

You pay to have the page in the first place once a year. They update it with feedback cards they receive you can update it with text photos ect like your own webpage.

 

[Octopus]

Ok so you dont know about it and you dont want to.

My own website costs £99 per year

 

[shanky887614]

Ok so you dont know about it and you dont want to.

you cant read or use there website can you?

 

[GMES]

I have never had the need to use them, It must be my charm that keeps me going, but I know people who have used them and said the same as Dillb, you pay for leads with no guarantee of work, it is just an online cattle market end of!!

 

[Plonker 3]

You pay to have the page in the first place once a year. They update it with feedback cards they receive you can update it with text photos ect like your own webpage.

So please explain how they are any different to any other of these scams that are out there?

 

[shanky887614]

I have never had the need to use them, It must be my charm that keeps me going, but I know people who have used them and said the same as Dillb, you pay for leads with no guarantee of work, it is just an online cattle market end of!!

the difference between the yellow pages and this is simple.

a customer will ring less than 5 electricians

but

check a trade will send the lead out to over 50.

 

[wozz]

no but they just provide a phone number, these sites claim they vet and check all the registered trademans work. The customer can then leave a review for your businesses, please could you tell me why non of these sites have any negative reviews for them?

Well from my point of view i had very very few unhappy customers, and human nature I hate british gas but i dont complain to the ombudsman every month. They would have to do something serious for me to do that, on the other hand if its easy to leave a positive review and i was happy i may well do.

Ive never seen them claim to have checked all trademans work? Thats clearly bollox.

 

[Octopus]

You pay to have the page in the first place once a year. They update it with feedback cards they receive you can update it with text photos ect like your own webpage.

Quote from checkatrade:

"The benefits of Checkatrade membership can be spread over 4 – 6 months via a Direct Debit. The actual spend is the equivalent to just over £11 a week (plus VAT). Can you afford not to join?"

So thats over £572.00 per year plus VAT making it about £686.00 minimum, so spread over 6 months its £114.00 per month

Any advertising which makes you do calculations to work out the annual costs is trying to hide them IMHO!

 

[Plonker 3]

Sorry I meant they vet their work similar to scams, so maybe one job check insurance etc, so hardly a worthwhile claim is it?

 

[wozz]

I have never had the need to use them, It must be my charm that keeps me going, but I know people who have used them and said the same as Dillb, you pay for leads with no guarantee of work, it is just an online cattle market end of!!

if you have been told by a check a trade member they had to pay for a lead i think you was speaking to a liar.

I used to pick up plenty of EM call outs and quick jobs off there 3-4 a week which fitted in around my maintenance stuff, used to love the pop in £60 jobs on the way home.

 

[wozz]

Sorry I meant they vet their work similar to scams, so maybe one job check insurance etc, so hardly a worthwhile claim is it?

Yes they check paperwork, quals when you sign up and insurance every year, make of that what you will but they did actually check which is more than most customers do. No work is vetted at all they vet paperwork.

 

[shanky887614]

if you have been told by a check a trade member they had to pay for a lead i think you was speaking to a liar.

I used to pick up plenty of EM call outs and quick jobs off there 3-4 a week which fitted in around my maintenance stuff, used to love the pop in £60 jobs on the way home.

the lead is the fee for the service Muppet lol

 

[Octopus]

if you have been told by a check a trade member they had to pay for a lead i think you was speaking to a liar.

I used to pick up plenty of EM call outs and quick jobs off there 3-4 a week which fitted in around my maintenance stuff, used to love the pop in £60 jobs on the way home.

"used to" - why don't you now?

 

[wozz]

"used to" - why don't you now?

i took a PAYE job in a more interesting field, is that ok? or are you assuming i went under?

 

[wozz]

the lead is the fee for the service Muppet lol

Muppet? bit childish mate.

think about what you have written and the original 'pay for leads' argument as in where the company contacts you not the customer.

Muppet indeed.

 

[Octopus]

i took a PAYE job in a more interesting field, is that ok? or are you assuming i went under?

I wasn't assuming nothing.

It stikes me that your well paid job could be doing "sales" for Checkatrade!

 

[Piratepete]

Hi Yellowvanman.
I've been mulling over sites like checkatrade. Consider this. The government is pushing Trustmark. I was with Tradeline run by AgeUk which got me a bit of business. AgeUk are/have closed Tradeline and passed their clients and traders on to Trustmark.
On the web, I noticed that one council is recommending that people look for their traders on Tradeline (now gone) or Trustmark.
Trustmark costs £66 a year via my lot, NICEIC. Cheaper if you're NAPIT, I think. So if AgeUK and the government are going to tell everybody to go to Trustmark, my money's going there too.
Just got the application form - nothing too onerous. Will let you know in a year's time whether it was worth £66!
Cheers
Pete

 

[Plonker 3]

Wozz, back to my original point. Why do we need these third parties? How do you contact a garage to have work carried out on your vehicle? How do you choose where to do your food shopping?

 

[GMES]

Wozz you seem to have a rather large chip on your shoulder, Murdoch simply asked a question.

 

[wozz]

Same old same old on here you disagree with a couple of members and eveyone gets defensive.

No i work more in mechanical maintenance.

So i can assume my original comment that i got jumped all over for, i was correct some people making comments had no idea how check a trade differed from rated people and my hammer????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

night night chaps.

 

[shanky887614]

Hi Yellowvanman.
I've been mulling over sites like checkatrade. Consider this. The government is pushing Trustmark. I was with Tradeline run by AgeUk which got me a bit of business. AgeUk are/have closed Tradeline and passed their clients and traders on to Trustmark.
On the web, I noticed that one council is recommending that people look for their traders on Tradeline (now gone) or Trustmark.
Trustmark costs £66 a year via my lot, NICEIC. Cheaper if you're NAPIT, I think. So if AgeUK and the government are going to tell everybody to go to Trustmark, my money's going there too.
Just got the application form - nothing too onerous. Will let you know in a year's time whether it was worth £66!
Cheers
Pete

if you only get 2-3 a year its worth it for £60.

thats less than 20p a day

 

[wozz]

Wozz you seem to have a rather large chip on your shoulder, Murdoch simply asked a question.

i got jumped all over when i had made what i believe to be a fairly correct statement judging by i have had to do a fair bit of explaining. and then got called a muppet. and then i worked for check a trade.

 

[Octopus]

Same old same old on here you disagree with a couple of members and eveyone gets defensive.

No i work more in mechanical maintenance.

So i can assume my original comment that i got jumped all over for, i was correct some people making comments had no idea how check a trade differed from rated people and my hammer????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

night night chaps.

erm no, it was you that got all shirty and defensive

 

[GMES]

i got jumped all over when i had made what i believe to be a fairly correct statement judging by i have had to do a fair bit of explaining. and then got called a muppet. and then i worked for check a trade.

Wozz to be fair you seem quite defensive yourself, but between me and you do you work for them" it's ok nobody is listening"

 

[wozz]

Wozz, back to my original point. Why do we need these third parties? How do you contact a garage to have work carried out on your vehicle? How do you choose where to do your food shopping?

depends what you meant by third parties, webpage? yellow pages? parish mag? its all advertising works for some not for others no hard and fast rules. Its a form of advertising that worked very well for me, might not for others.

Choosing where i shop would depend on locality, not a huge concern when picking a electrician, not everyone knows a reliable electrician so may have to look around and even if they do they might be too busy, people could be new to area ect ect list goes on.

 

[wozz]

Wozz to be fair you seem quite defensive yourself, but between me and you do you work for them" it's ok nobody is listening"

i wish i did i might not have to get up at 4:30 tomorrow.

 

[Plonker 3]

depends what you meant by third parties, webpage? yellow pages? parish mag? its all advertising works for some not for others no hard and fast rules. Its a form of advertising that worked very well for me, might not for others.

Choosing where i shop would depend on locality, not a huge concern when picking a electrician, not everyone knows a reliable electrician so may have to look around and even if they do they might be too busy, people could be new to area ect ect list goes on.

While £11 per week may not be too bad for advertising, these sites names are very misleading in claiming they vet people registered with them and reviews are there for all to see. Please find me a link to negative reviews on these sites and then I may be a little more convinced that they are a good thing.

 

[Octopus]

While £11 per week may not be too bad for advertising, these sites names are very misleading in claiming they vet people registered with them and reviews are there for all to see. Please find me a link to negative reviews on these sites and then I may be a little more convinced that they are a good thing.

I hope you are not holding your breath!