Opinions please - plasterboard overhangs skirting - photos

h.cowell

never_enough wrote: »

Wait until he's seen the photos. If e-mail 'fails' again (:rolleyes:) then print them out & send by recorded post to him.

Good idea - I have the feeling there are excuses being made.

never_enough wrote: »

What have the insurance company said?

That will be the next step (to contact the insurers directly), if the surveyor/builders fail to respond in the next few working days. It seems so complicated - insurers contract the surveyor, who instructs the building contractor, who organises the builder....

never_enough wrote: »

Don't be afraid to involve the authorities if necessary.

OK, thanks. It just seems a big step that's all.

never_enough wrote: »

Don't buildings regs people need to be involved with lintel type things? [I don't know, but am sure someone else will]

Eek, I don't know! Would the builder company be responsible for that, or us????

Thanks again

never_enough

Some information about building regs here:
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115315273728.html

All I know is that it's a seperate thing to planning. I'm sure it's your responsibility to sort out, but would imagine a decent builder would mention the need for it. [obviously that's not an excuse for you not to have checked things out for yourself!] Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you.

I do think that you should inform your insurance company that there is a problem, if nothing other than to hold the payment for the work until its all checked/done satisfactorily.

never_enough

I think that I would've copied the insurance company in to all e-mails or letters, just to keep them in the loop. Not to late to do that now though.

h.cowell

never enough, thanks for the link. I'll look into this more carefully. No-one has mentioned it to us before, perhaps because the 'knock-through' is already there. Still, I need to find out....

Yes, the insurance company will be notified. First thing Tuesday I'll call them to find out who to deal with.

never_enough

Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you!

h.cowell

never_enough wrote: »

Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you!

No, it's ok... I'd rather be aware of it than not be! Thanks for your help

Slinky_Malinky

If this does not get sorted to your satisfaction, so it comes down to reporting them, then could you report your insurance company to an ombudsman for sending an incompetent builder? Just a thought that it may be a more likely course to getting swift and positive action if you do need to get forceful..

h.cowell

Can anyone advise how to deal effectively with insurance companies?????!

I tried to call the insurers this morning about the whole mess (we're with the Post Office). Their complaints procedure is to ring the customer helpline in the first instance which I did. They transferred me to their claims dept, saying that's who I needed to talk to.

Lots of waiting later, I was advised to speak to the underwriter directly, which is AVIVA in this case. So... made another call and waited ages again. Eventually got through and the phone was answered by the Surveyance Company, who are the ones I want to complain about!!!! Not only that, but it was the 'wrong' office so I was advised told to ring a different one.

I'm losing the will to live. If I ring that other office I'll just be put through to the surveyor dealing with our claim, and although he hasn't caused the problem, he's certainly a part of it.

What to do?????

Aaargh!

TomsMom

I'm following your thread with interest h.cowell and despair at the incompetence that the builder has shown and how you're being given the runaround.

Re the phone calls this morning and you not getting anywhere. I would be putting this in writing - snail mail, recorded delivery - now. Over time we've had a belly full of phone calls where you're passed from one person to another and you end up hours later totally frustrated and no further on. It might take longer but it does seem to get to the right department when it's put in a letter.

Something happened to OH last week (to do with a bank, a credit card statement going missing and fees being charged for non-payment, not building works) and it was dealt with on the phone. We always get the name of the person we speak to, department, direct phone number if we can. OH was told by the CSA that she was going on maternity leave at the end of the week. That rung alarm bells as he'd have no-one he'd previously spoken to if he wanted to follow it up. He asked who he should address a letter to to follow up the phone call. Not sure if she panicked but she asked "Are you not satisfied then?" He told her he just wanted to follow up with a letter so that it was on file what had been discussed and agreed.

Another example was when I opened an account with a BS and it went wrong, no end of phone calls didn't sort it and I was lied to on numerous occasions by different CSAs. I wrote to them snail mail and I received a reply by return fo post and they're now treating it as an official complaint - their decision not mine, but at least it's going somewhere when I couldn't get anywhere over the phone and couldn't get past lying CSAs.

I think I'm getting old and cynical but I don't trust many people to do their jobs properly any more.

Might be worth you going this route????????

h.cowell

Thank you TomsMom . I think you are right - snail mail would probably be a better route. They all seem to want to pass it around, and I have better things to do than than wait at the end of a phoneline all day! They can't ignore it so easily when it's in writing.

TomsMom wrote: »

I think I'm getting old and cynical but I don't trust many people to do their jobs properly any more.

This is just what someone else said to me today when I told them where we were up to! I think all the complicated procedures don't help either. No-one wants to take responsibility.

I'm glad you are getting somewhere with your own dealings, and will take a leaf out of you and your OH's book from now on. Many thanks!