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You'd think the message had gotten through about getting comparative quotes for home improvements before choosing a company but research by Sainsbury's Insurance reveals different.

An unbelievable 6.2 million people have employed 'cowboy traders' in the past 5 years, resulting in £3.7 billion being paid out to rectify botched jobs.

But the mind-boggling statistics don't stop there.

Only 36% of people engaging a home improvement tradesman or company bothered to get comparative quotes and only 31% asked for a formal written quote!

An average of £2077 was paid by homeowners to 'cowboys' for work that was bad, shoddy or downright dangerous and in need of rectifying, which on average added a further £600 to put right.

Over 150,000 people are estimated to have paid over £5000 to put right a botched improvement.

The advice is to always get comparative quotes, check firms or individuals relevant qualifications and trade accreditations and get a detailed quote in writing before engaging a company or individual.

Asking neighbours or reading previous customer reviews can also be helpful - especially if you're new to an area and don't know which tradesmen can be trusted.

Home Improvement Quotes offer instant online quotes for over 17 different home improvement projects before giving you access to over 2,500 local and national tradesmen, who'll be able to access your particular project and offer an honest, no obligation quote.