The new smartphone app from Trustmark lets you record your conversations with traders and takes you through a checklist of questions to ask when getting tradespeople to quote for work.

Trustmark - a tradespeople membership scheme - has launched a new app that guides you through issues to think about when choosing and using a tradesperson such as a builder.

It reminds you of the key questions to ask and records what was agreed by sending you an email - so you have something to refer back to. As well as text, it allows you to record audio clips and attach photos.


Which? Legal Service lawyer Peter McCarthy took an expert look at the app. He said: "Using this app should substantially reduce your chance of getting ripped off. However you should record more specifics about the work you're having done - thinking of elements like the sequence in which jobs will be finished, who is responsible for what and at what stages payments will be made.

"The app says that good tradesmen will have a clear and open policy for how they deal with any disputes, but expecting most traders to have dispute policies is probably wishful thinking. If you do have a problem be sure to talk to your trader and give them the chance to put things right first."

(CD/GK)