This guide is about what to do in Cardiff on the day: finding a replacement you can trust, who to report the firm to locally, and how to get a deposit back when the firm will not answer the phone.
Get the move done first
If you are on a completion day or the last day of a contract, a van this afternoon is worth more than a refund next week. Send the original firm one written message asking whether it is coming and when, keep the reply or the silence, and start ringing round straight away rather than waiting another hour.
Our same-day man and van service exists for exactly this, and it covers where a van can legally stop in Cardiff while it loads, which matters more when the replacement is booked in a hurry.
Checking a replacement you have never used
The risk on a bad day is booking a second firm that is no better than the first. Shared Regulatory Services, the joint trading standards service for Cardiff, Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan, publishes details of Buy With Confidence, a national scheme in which Trading Standards officers vet and approve businesses.
To be listed, a business has to show it operates in a legal, honest and fair way, has been trading for at least six months, complies with consumer law, holds appropriate insurance and does not cold call. A listing is not a guarantee, but it is a quick check you can make while the kettle boils.
- Ask for the date, arrival time and price in writing before you agree.
- Pay any deposit on a credit card, not by bank transfer.
- Check the firm's insurance cover for goods in transit before the van is loaded.
Who to report the firm to in Cardiff
Shared Regulatory Services does not take consumer complaints directly. Its own advice is to contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline, which records the complaint and passes it to Trading Standards. The number is 0808 223 1133, or 0808 223 1144 for a Welsh-speaking adviser, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, closed on bank holidays. SRS sets the route out on its consumer advice page.
If a trader has taken money and you think it is a scam rather than a let-down, SRS says to call 101 to report a suspected rogue trader, and 999 if a rogue trader has taken money from you and is still in your home or the local area.
Trading Standards in Wales is stretched
Report it, but do not wait for enforcement to get your money back. Trading Standards Wales' report for 2024/25 records that Citizens Advice referrals and notifications to Trading Standards rose by almost 38% to 25,263, against 294 staff across the whole of Wales. In the same year 164 people or businesses were convicted.
Those figures suggest a single missed removal is unlikely to bring an officer to the door. A report still matters, because it builds the record against a firm that does it repeatedly. The full figures are in the Trading Standards Wales annual report.
Getting the deposit back
A confirmed date is part of the contract, so a firm that does not turn up has not done what it agreed. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which applies in Wales as in England, you can ask for a price reduction of up to the full amount paid, refunded within 14 days of the firm agreeing you are entitled to it.
If the firm will not pay, the card company can. A deposit paid on a credit card is covered by Section 75 where the full price was over £100 and no more than £30,000, even if only the deposit went on the card. For a debit card, ask your bank for a chargeback, and do it promptly.
If the van has not arrived
- 1Send the firm one written message asking whether it is coming and when.
- 2Screenshot the booking confirmation showing the date, time and price.
- 3Book a replacement for today rather than waiting for a reply.
- 4Report the firm through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.
- 5Ask for a full refund in writing, then go to your card company if it is refused.
Last checked: October 2026.