James Sibley pleaded guilty to offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 at Swansea Crown Court for five separate instances where he agreed to carry out building and landscaping work, for which he received a total of £34,290.77 from his victims.
Where work was carried out it was found to be of very poor quality, and in some cases very little or no work was carried out despite the victims paying for these services.
The Court sentenced Sibley to 16 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months and 100 hours un-paid work.
He was ordered to pay £12,000 compensation to be distributed between the five victims and was disqualified from being a Company Director for 4 years.
Cllr Aled Vaughan Owen, Carmarthenshire Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for Trading Standards said: “James Sibley falsely claimed to be a professional tradesman and I’m pleased that our Trading Standards team have achieved a positive result for his victims.
“When hiring someone to do work in your home always be vigilant, do research before entering into any agreement and to be cautious when paying money upfront.
“I would encourage anyone looking for a tradesperson to do work in their home to use The Buy With Confidence scheme to find a Trading Standards approved trader. All businesses listed with Buy With Confidence have passed a number of checks so you can be reassured that you are appointing a trustworthy business to carry out the work”.