More than 19,000 people lodged a complaint concerning building maintenance and other work during the course of 2007, new statistics show.
According to Consumer Direct, such complaints covered home maintenance jobs that had a value of £80 million in total, with UK residents most commonly expressing dissatisfaction with building work, which was said to be worth more than £40 million.
Kitchen fittings totalling £14 million and heating installations costing £5.5 million were also common causes of complaint.
Michele Shambrook, operations manager for Consumer Direct said: "There's no foolproof way of avoiding problems, but you need to do your homework before you embark on a project and agree clear terms with the trader."
She concluded by saying that should something go wrong, homeowner should check their rights and take swift action.
One way of limiting risk of shoody workmanship is to look for builders registered with trade associations or ask friends for recommendations, the organisation states.
Consumer Direct provides telephone and internet support to those people who are dissatisfied with a range of products and services.
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