Consumer Affairs is to hire extra staff as it struggles to cope with a soaring caseload.

Complaints rose seven percent in 2006 to just under 1,000 and are already on the up this year.

Gripes against the auto industry again topped the list in 2006 with a 19 percent hike while complaints also poured in over other trades.

Recurring themes were:

• Sub-standard workmanship

• Misappropriation of funds

• Workers showing up high or drunk or not turning up at all

• Billing irregularities

• Workers breaking health and safety codes

• Violent confrontations and wilful damage to consumer property

• Unreasonable time delays and a lack of parts.

However Bermuda lacks laws requiring motor firms to provide spare parts.

Consumer Affairs Executive Officer Karen Marshall said the main areas behind the 985 complaints were over automotive, construction, retail and landlord/tenant disputes.

Currently Consumer Affairs has three staff but is now hiring another enforcement officer and an education officer.

"Statistics clearly show there's a need," said Mrs. Marshall who said there were hours of work behind soring out each complaint. And Government is also planning to beef up the law although some of the legislation has been a long time in the works.

In Bermuda any individual can declare theirself to be a tradesperson without taking the time to learn all the necessary skills.

Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Wayne Perinchief said a task force would licence all types of trades with new entrants needing courses while long-serving reputable tradespeople would be grandfathered or given an oral test.

Measures to tighten up procedures on quotes are still at the Attorney General chambers as Government lawyers assessed what piece of legislation to put it under.

People often chose an estimate at the middle or lower end, said Ms Marshall.

"But by the time the work is over the bill is triple the cost of what the estimate was - causing a debt for the consumer which is un-planned for. It caused havoc in building work noted Ms Marshall.

"They are in the middle of the construction and the money runs out."

Full disclosure measures are also in the pipeline so people would know if they were buying a 'new' car which had sat on a lot for five years or had been returned by a previous customer and was not sold as second-hand but as new.

Ms Marshall said the Transport Control Department had tightened up that loophole.

Consumer Affairs report that two in five car windshields are shattered en route to Bermuda.Disclosure is about if an item gets dropped on the docks and is repaired before it gets sold - those sort of things the consumer is entitled to know."