Are the cowboys coming back?

Interesting articles are starting to appear in the press recently reporting an increase in the cowboy element resurfacing because of the recession. The thinking is that guys that have been made redundant recently are seeing handyman services as an easy option to make a living.
The reality, of course, is that doing handyman jobs for the home or office is just not the easy money that some think.
Our advice to anyone thinking of taking on a cut price operation is to ask the following questions.
How long have you been in the business?
Do you have a website where customer comments are listed?
Do you have full public liability insurance, and can I see a copy?
Are you and your workmen CRB checked? (We know of one company where at least one worker has a criminal record)
Are the people you use sub contractors, or 100% employees of the company? (Sub contractors tend to work to their own agenda, which may not fit in with what you want)!