02 February 2021

Aberdeenshire Council successfully pursues rogue tradesman

Aberdeenshire Council has successfully pursued a rogue North-east tradesman through the courts.

Brian Thomson - trading as TC Timber Products and Landscaping in the Macduff and Banff area - was recently found in contempt of court at Banff Sheriff Court for breach of an Enforcement Order.

Aberdeenshire Trading Standards received 18 complaints from local residents complaining about Mr Thomson’s business practices. The tradesman had been taking excessively large deposits, failing to complete work to agreed timescales - or at all, failing to respond to customer complaints, failing to issue contract information and failing to issue refunds.

Customers were left out of pocket to the tune of £17,000 for incomplete or unsatisfactory work. Several attempts were made to no avail to engage Mr Thomson constructively around the consumer complaints and his business practices. 

In April 2019, Aberdeenshire Council sought and obtained a court order against Mr Thomson and his business, ordering him to issue refunds to affected customers and immediately cease or amend certain business practices.

Mr Thomson failed to abide by the terms of the order made against him by the Sheriff at Banff Sheriff Court.

Following further complaints to Aberdeenshire Trading Standards, the council again took Mr Thomson to court - this time to be held in Contempt of Court for failing to abide by his court order. In January 2021, Mr Thomson was found in contempt, fined £1,000 and ordered to pay the council’s costs in pursuing the matter. His original court order remains in force.

Aled Herbert, Trading Standards Team Manager, said: “We gave Mr Thomson every opportunity to change the way in which he was treating customers and to review how he was operating as a business. Unfortunately, Mr Thomson failed to properly engage with us and he continued to treat customers unfairly.

“It was with the hard work of our officers that we were able to pursue this action and it should serve as a warning that we will act, where necessary, to protect Aberdeenshire residents from this type of activity.

If an Aberdeenshire resident would like free and impartial consumer advice or wishes to pass information to Trading Standards, they can visit our partners website at Consumeradvice.scot or contact them over the phone on 0808 164 6000.