paving contractor help

hollydays

Were they supposed to reassemble the buildings?

yorksrabbit

Funtime_Frankie wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. No, they haven't charged me, but have attempted to blackmail me. They've ripped out half of my garden (Buildings, concrete floor, etc)

Oh Gawd, OP: check your house foundations. . .

(Seriously though -- hope you get this sorted out, and that any structural alterations would've been necessary anyway, regardless of the contractor chosen. If that is the case, then don't look on this as a pile of debris but a pile of money already saved -- they walked off the job after making an extortionate demand, so let 'em whistle for their money if they ever get around to asking for it.)

Funtime_Frankie_4

I've calmed down a little, but I'm afraid that this really is a case of 'the only free cheese is in a mousetrap'. The company, Interlock Drives of Bristol, to all intents and purposes attempted to blackmail me. Remember, they visited my house twice, saw all that needed to be done (remove existing garage/walls. lawn and replace with slabs), gave me an all-inclusive quote, and then reneged on it after having already ripped a lot of the garden out and left it there. Presumably they thought I'd crumble and pay the extra thousand, but what would then stop them discovering some rogue drain, or the suchlike? The fact that they tried to get their original price from me makes me even more suspicious - "sure, we'll do it a grand cheaper, but then we'll try to get that grand back off you in a different way'.

As it is, they've done about 4 hours work and they didn't get a penny from me, but as you can imagine its not pleasurable looking out of my back window at the moment. I'm getting in a different builder to do it but, as I say, he's pricier.

So, a word to those thinking of doing a driveway - make sure you get a full, legally binding quote.

olias

Have you paid them anything? If not then I would have got them to take away the rubbish and paid them the £250 in full and final settlement. To be honest £250 sounds reasonable for that. Two guys (presumably) at £10 per hour = £80 + the cost of use of their equipment (presumably mini digger or similar £?, + cost to remove rubbish £120 for a skip these days. All in all the £250 sounds about right. At least then you would have had a cleared site ready to get another groundworker in to quote for the job.

Olias

germ73

Funtime_Frankie wrote: »

I've calmed down a little, but I'm afraid that this really is a case of 'the only free cheese is in a mousetrap'. The company, Interlock Drives of Bristol, to all intents and purposes attempted to blackmail me. Remember, they visited my house twice, saw all that needed to be done (remove existing garage/walls. lawn and replace with slabs), gave me an all-inclusive quote, and then reneged on it after having already ripped a lot of the garden out and left it there. Presumably they thought I'd crumble and pay the extra thousand, but what would then stop them discovering some rogue drain, or the suchlike? The fact that they tried to get their original price from me makes me even more suspicious - "sure, we'll do it a grand cheaper, but then we'll try to get that grand back off you in a different way'.

As it is, they've done about 4 hours work and they didn't get a penny from me, but as you can imagine its not pleasurable looking out of my back window at the moment. I'm getting in a different builder to do it but, as I say, he's pricier.

So, a word to those thinking of doing a driveway - make sure you get a full, legally binding quote.

Did they speak with an irish accent by any chance?

Funtime_Frankie_4

Oddly enough, yes.

I've subsequently got a reasonable quote from a FMB-registered builder and will be going with them.