Written by Poppy Atkinson Gibson
01:53 05 April 2024, 01:55 05 April 2024 Updated
B&Q has been criticized by builders over an “irresponsible” ad showing a woman carrying a sledgehammer into a house.
The ad, released in February, depicts a woman knocking down a wall with a hammer, another man painting a hallway and a woman painting tiles in a bathroom.
The ad ends with B&Q's tagline. “B&Q lets you do it.”
But professional contractors criticized the advertising message, saying demolition work is dangerous and should be done by professionals.
CheckATrade, an online platform for finding handymen, announced a 15% jump in emergency demolition jobs compared to last year after the ad aired.
The clip shows desperate homeowners struggling to do their job, overlaid with voices saying phrases like “I can't do it,” “It's too big” and “I don't have the strength.”
The voiceover then says, “The voice is loud, but the sledgehammer is louder,” before a woman screams and punches a hole in the wall.
Professional handymen condemned the ad and warned of the dangers of encouraging amateurs to perform complicated tasks.
CheckATrade, an online platform for finding handymen, said requests for emergency work to correct a “worrying trend” of amateur homeowners starting demolition work jumped from 16,660 to 20,000. That's what it means.
Refaat Haraoui, a builder with Grand Property Services, told the Telegraph: “The Admiral's message is to encourage people to take up home renovation efforts, but we need to take responsibility here.” Ta.
He added that this was a job for professionals, and warned anyone thinking of going DIY to think twice about whether they “want to get through the job unscathed.”
CheckATrade also said that calling in builders to fix the failed job could further increase prices, with up to £3,000 extra depending on the extent of the damage.
Edmund Toska from Design & Build Builder said he was shocked when he saw the ad, adding: “I've seen more DIY demolitions go awry than B&Q selling sledgehammers.” Ta.
He said the risk of property damage and, more importantly, human injury was high and should be carefully considered before starting any project.
The Advertising Standards Authority said it had received four complaints about the ad, including that it encouraged behavior without appropriate expertise or know-how, but said it was not investigating it.
A B&Q spokesperson said: “Through B&Q's You Can Do It campaign, we want to give people confidence as they embark on their DIY journey and we can say it's been a huge success.” .