If it is an emergency
Some things should not wait for a quote. Ring these first — they are free, they answer day and night, and they are not us.
If you can smell gas, or your carbon monoxide alarm is going off
Ring the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Free, day and night.
- Open the doors and windows.
- Do not turn any switch on or off, and do not use anything with a flame.
- Turn the gas off at the meter if you can reach it safely.
- Get everyone out and ring from outside.
Carbon monoxide has no smell. If anyone has a headache, feels sick or dizzy, or is unusually drowsy, get them into fresh air and ring 999.
Fire, a serious electric shock, or anyone badly hurt
Ring 999. Do not wait for a tradesperson.
Other things that will not wait
- Water pouring in
- Turn off the stopcock — usually under the kitchen sink. Then ring your water supplier, who will deal with a leak on their side of the boundary for nothing.
- No electricity at all, or your supply is damaged
- Ring 105. It is free and it reaches your local network operator, who fix the supply itself at no charge.
- Burning smell from a socket, or scorch marks
- Switch it off at the consumer unit and do not use it. This is worth an emergency electrician tonight rather than a quote tomorrow.
- No heating, with a baby, someone elderly or someone unwell in the house
- Ring your energy supplier and ask about their Priority Services Register — many will send someone out, or lend heaters, the same day and at no cost. Your council may also help. Do not heat a room with a gas hob or a barbecue: that is how people are poisoned.
- A tradesperson you did not expect at the door
- We never send anyone unannounced, and nobody from GoodTrades will ever turn up at your home. Ask for ID before you let anyone in, and if you are not satisfied, do not. If you feel threatened, ring 999. You can email us afterwards and we will look into it, but do not wait on us while somebody is at your door.
Before you pay anyone
GoodTrades never holds your money. You pay the tradesperson directly, always. We are not a bank, an escrow service or an insurer, and we will never ask you to pay us for work.
- Never pay a deposit by bank transfer to a new account without a written contract naming the company, the work and the dates.
- A deposit over about a quarter of the job is unusual. Ask why.
- Paying by card or through a finance agreement gives you protections that a bank transfer does not.
- Every profile on GoodTrades shows whether that trade takes a deposit, how much, and whether they work to a written contract. You can filter on it.
If none of the above applies and you just need someone soon: post the job.