LAST year we had cause to chase up a tradesman over some shoddy workmanship. After we had agreed on a refund he went back on his word.

Both Trading Standards and the Small Claims Court took up the case and we received judgement, but the cowboy operator ignored frequent requests to settle, flouting the law in the process.

It appears both the Trading Standards and the Small Claims Court have no real power to enforce any judgement. Therefore, it appears to be a complete waste of time following this course of action.

Name and address supplied

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.