Last year, a record number of complaints were made about work carried out by plumbers, locksmiths, and electricians in Belgium.
Beating the previous record, 392 complaints were made to the authorities at the Belgian Ministry of Economy in 2024 about badly-executed or unfairly priced urgent repairs, according to Het Belang van Limburg on Saturday.
Notably, the complaints ranged from excessive prices, incomplete information on rates or the extent of the work, as well as poor workmanship.
Not all complaints have been processed yet, but 2024 has already set a new record with 119 more reports than in 2023.
Until last year, the highest number of complaints was recorded in 2021, with 370 cases.
"As a result of these reports, a total of 67 warnings and 70 fines were issued in 2023,’ says Lien Meurisse of the Ministry of Economy.
"In addition, the Economic Inspectorate regularly blocks access to certain websites, in cooperation with the Public Prosecutor's Office. In our investigations, we find that the service may or may not be flawed. There is then no question of fraud, but an unreasonably high price," she added.
The official added that while each professional is free to set his or her own price, the total price or calculation method must always be communicated to the consumer in advance, "and therein lies the problem."
How to avoid being scammed
Here are five tips from the Ministry of Economy against "rogue" repair services, reported by Het Belang van Limburg.
- Be prepared: save the contact details of a good locksmith, plumber and other urgent repair services in your area.
- Don't just contact the first company that appears after a search. Check online reviews and verify the repair service's website.
- Be vigilant for suspicious offers: be wary of offers with extremely low prices. If something seems too good to be true, it often is.
- Before starting any work, ask for a written price confirmation.
- Ask about guarantees.
In cases where customers feel misled or cheated on an urgent repair, it can be reported it via ConsumerConnect.be.
The Economic Inspection of the Ministry of the Economy will analyse the report and may decide to launch an investigation to put an end to these fraudulent practices.
