A South Wales Heating engineer has been fined £2,000, made to pay compensation to a Merthyr customer and costs to Merthyr Tydfil CBC after pleading guilty to Unfair trading in a case brought by Merthyr Tydfil CBC Trading Standards.
Mr Dafydd Emery appeared before the Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court on 17th April 2024 for 3 offences under the Consumer Protections for Unfair Trading Regulations including misleading the consumer in relation to his HETAS registration, Emery who is a director of Woodland Fuels Ltd and Stoves World Ltd, pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him.
Emery, of Tonypandy, was ordered to pay a fine of £2,000, compensation to a customer of £2,350, £800 surcharge and prosecution costs.
Trading Standards received complaints about Emery in February 2023. The customer reported paying him thousands of pounds to install a wood-burning stove. After encountering problems with the installation, the consumer discovered EMERY was not HETAS registered as he claimed and that the installation did not meet the legal safety requirements. Trading Standards discovered that the paperwork supplied to the consumer did not comply with the legal requirement to give a 14 days cancellation period.
Trading Standards carried out an investigation using the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations which led to Emery appearing in court.
Craig Rushton, Trading Standards Team Leader said:
“This prosecution sends a clear message that those who trade fraudulently, damaging the trust and confidence of our communities in local tradespeople, will be brought to justice.
“Before residents engage a tradesperson in any work, they are encouraged to carry out background checks where they can verify the trade persons’ membership of the trade association which they claim to be a member of. Residents use Trade Association membership as a sign that they will receive quality work from the businesses they engage with.
“Where this is not the case our Trading Standards Service will investigate, and any unscrupulous businesses should expect to find themselves in Court”
