A WESTBURY resident is warning others to be careful about who they employ to carry out work after a rogue trader left him roughly £30,000 out of pocket.
Daniel Dyer of Penleigh Road, Westbury, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court to two years imprisonment and disqualified from acting as a company director for eight years, after he plead guilty to 11 offences under The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, Fraud Act 2006 and Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
A timetable was also set by the judge to enable assets to be identified for the victims to be compensated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Across Wiltshire, Dyer convinced customers to complete unnecessary works at an additional cost. He also left some buildings in precarious or dangerous structural condition, and at a further five properties across the county, he had received approximately £300,000 in payments for works which had been left incomplete. Dyer also falsely claimed to be a member of The Federation of Master Builders and Trustmark, despite being previously advised by Trading Standards that he should not be using the logos.
In Westbury, Dyer, who was the director of the now dissolved Ashwood Home Improvements (SW) Ltd, was paid roughly £30,000 in staged payments to complete a garage conversion and extension, but he walked away from the job when he was told that he wouldn’t receive any more money until work was actually completed.
The resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he wants more local people to know of Dyer, so they don’t make the “same mistake” of employing his services in the future.
Dyer started work on the resident’s property in 2022, but as of May 2024, work has still not been finished. The resident has since had to employ other builders to rectify the work that Dyer had left, as well as finishing jobs that Dyer had promised he would carry out.
The resident also says that Dyer damaged the neighbour’s roof in the process of the conversion, which the resident had to pay out for, due to Dyer’s disappearance.
“Two years simply isn’t enough time, he’ll be out within a year, and I wouldn’t put it past him to start trading under a different name and cause misery to even more people,” the resident said.
“I’ve been in contact with so many other victims of this – it’s incredible how many people this con man has managed to rip off.
“He had asked for money up front, but we paid him money, only for him not to follow through on the work he promised would be completed.
“The work so far has cost me over £100,00 in total, and a good £30,000 of that was either given to Dyer or paid to rectify his mistakes and complete work he failed to finish.
“Part of the issue with him is that he was very approachable and charming at the start of the process, and he made promises that work would be completed to a good standard, but this all fell through quite quickly.
“He should not be able to trade again. I urge everyone to be careful about who they employ to carry out work, so they don’t make the same mistake, as this is something that I will have to live with for the rest of my life.”
If anyone believes they have been the victim of a rogue trader, they should call Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.
