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Complaints Policy

Complaints Policy – NeedATrade.co.uk

Last updated: 13 September 2026

1. Our commitment

At NeedATrade.co.uk, we aim to provide a reliable, professional and straightforward service for customers and tradespeople.

We recognise that occasionally things may go wrong or that a customer or tradesperson may be unhappy with our service. We take complaints seriously and use them as an opportunity to investigate problems, put things right where appropriate and improve our service.

We will handle complaints fairly, respectfully and, where possible, promptly.

2. What this policy covers

This Complaints Policy applies to complaints concerning:

  • The NeedATrade.co.uk website or platform.
  • Our staff or representatives.
  • Our customer service.
  • Your account or use of our platform.
  • The way we have handled your information.
  • Advertising or information published by NeedATrade.co.uk.
  • The way we have dealt with a previous complaint.
  • Other services provided directly by NeedATrade.co.uk.

Complaints about tradespeople

NeedATrade.co.uk is a platform designed to help customers find and connect with tradespeople.

If your complaint concerns the quality, price, workmanship, conduct, appointment, quotation, cancellation, payment or completion of work carried out by an individual tradesperson, you should normally raise the matter directly with that tradesperson first.

Where appropriate, NeedATrade.co.uk may assist with communication or investigate matters relating to the use of our platform, but we cannot automatically accept responsibility for work carried out by an independent tradesperson.

This does not affect any rights you may have against the tradesperson under applicable consumer law.

3. How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint by:

Email: needatrade.co.uk@gmail.com

Please include, where possible:

  • Your name.
  • Your contact details.
  • Your NeedATrade account details, if applicable.
  • The name of the tradesperson or business involved, if applicable.
  • The date the issue occurred.
  • A clear description of what happened.
  • Any relevant photographs, messages, invoices or other evidence.
  • Details of any previous communication with us.
  • What you would like us to do to resolve the matter.

Providing this information will help us investigate your complaint efficiently. Similar UK complaints procedures recommend providing the details of the issue, the people involved and the resolution being sought.

4. Acknowledgement

We will aim to acknowledge your complaint as soon as reasonably practicable.

Where your complaint relates to the processing or use of your personal data, we will acknowledge it within 30 days, in accordance with applicable data-protection requirements.

5. Investigation

We will review the information provided and may contact you for further information or clarification.

Depending on the nature of the complaint, we may:

  • Review our records.
  • Review communications between you and NeedATrade.
  • Contact relevant staff or representatives.
  • Ask you to provide supporting evidence.
  • Contact a tradesperson where appropriate.
  • Review the operation of our website or platform.
  • Take reasonable steps to resolve the issue.

We will aim to investigate complaints fairly and objectively.

6. Our response

Once our investigation has been completed, we will provide you with a response explaining:

  • What we have found.
  • Whether your complaint has been upheld, partially upheld or rejected.
  • Any action we intend to take.
  • Any steps you can take if you remain dissatisfied.

If we need additional time to investigate your complaint, we will let you know and explain the reason for the delay.

7. Possible outcomes

Depending on the circumstances, we may:

  • Apologise where appropriate.
  • Correct inaccurate information.
  • Take action to resolve a service issue.
  • Make improvements to our website or procedures.
  • Review the conduct of an account or tradesperson using our platform.
  • Provide further information or clarification.
  • Take no further action where we consider that our service has been provided appropriately.

Any action we take will depend on the individual circumstances and the information available to us.

8. If you are unhappy with our response

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may request a review.

Please explain:

  • Which part of our response you disagree with.
  • Why you believe the complaint has not been resolved.
  • Any additional information or evidence you would like us to consider.

Your complaint will, where reasonably possible, be reviewed by someone who was not directly responsible for the original decision.

9. Complaints about personal data

If your complaint concerns how NeedATrade.co.uk has collected, stored, used or otherwise processed your personal information, please clearly state that your complaint is a data-protection complaint.

We will handle such complaints in accordance with applicable data-protection law.

If you remain dissatisfied after we have investigated your complaint, you may also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO provides guidance on data-protection complaints and organisations are required to have a process for dealing with them.

10. Third-party tradespeople

NeedATrade.co.uk may provide a platform through which customers and tradespeople can find and communicate with one another.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, tradespeople listed on NeedATrade.co.uk are independent businesses and are responsible for the services they provide.

If you have a dispute about work carried out by a tradesperson, we encourage you to:

  1. Contact the tradesperson directly.
  2. Clearly explain the problem.
  3. Give them a reasonable opportunity to resolve the issue.
  4. Keep copies of relevant correspondence, quotations, invoices and photographs.

If the matter cannot be resolved directly, you may wish to seek independent consumer advice. Citizens Advice recommends making a formal complaint to the seller or service provider first and keeping the final response as evidence if further action is required.

11. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

Where applicable, if NeedATrade.co.uk is required by law or contract to participate in an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme, we will provide the relevant information when responding to the complaint.

Where no specific ADR scheme applies to NeedATrade.co.uk, you may still seek independent legal or consumer advice.

Current UK consumer legislation includes requirements concerning information about ADR arrangements where they apply to a trader.

12. Unreasonable or abusive behaviour

We understand that complaints can be frustrating. We ask everyone using our service to communicate respectfully.

We will not tolerate:

  • Threatening behaviour.
  • Abusive or offensive language.
  • Harassment of our staff.
  • Repeated contact intended to cause distress.
  • Unreasonable demands.
  • Deliberately providing misleading information.

Where behaviour becomes unreasonable or abusive, we may restrict communication to written correspondence or take other reasonable steps to protect our staff and users.

13. Confidentiality and data protection

Information provided as part of a complaint will be handled appropriately and in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data-protection legislation.

We will only share information with third parties where reasonably necessary to investigate or resolve the complaint, where we have a lawful basis to do so, or where we are legally required to do so.

14. Learning from complaints

We will use complaints to identify recurring issues and, where appropriate, improve:

  • Our website.
  • Customer service.
  • Platform processes.
  • Communication.
  • Policies and procedures.

Complaints can provide useful information about problems with a service and help organisations improve their service delivery.

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this Complaints Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, procedures or applicable legislation.

The latest version will be published on NeedATrade.co.uk.

16. Contact details

NeedATrade.co.uk
Website: NeedATrade.co.uk
Complaints email: needatrade.co.uk@gmail.com

© NEEDATRADE.UK All Rights Reserved. NEEDATRADE.UK functions solely as an introduction service between customers and Tradespeople. We accept no liability for any services provided, costs incurred, or payments owed.