Builder is threatening me.

Drinda

I was talking to a lady who lives at the top of my Rd and told her I was going to have new guttering, facia, and soffit on my semi-detached bungalow, she suggested that I speak to her husband who I know only slightly, I didn't think he worked any more as he had a bad accident"fell from a tall ladder".

I asked him for a estimate and mentioned I would have the walls repainted in the spring, he came and made a list of every thing he needed and said it would be no more than £1,500 including painting the walls with weathershield, he also said it would be about 4 day's work.

I agreed to pay him the £1,500.

He only worked a couple of hours each afternoon as it turned out he worked part time in a factory.

When he had finished doing all the plastic I asked if he would like some of the money as he had paid out and he said it had come to £460 so I gave him £500 and said I would give him the other thousand when he was finnished.

Well He finished on Wednesday and as I handed him the thousand he said no it comes to £1800, I told him I can't pay that and he said it wouldn't be more than 1500, he said he forgot the plastic firm's Vat so he wanted another £300 and I refused.

Friday hi's son knocked at the door demanding the money and if I don't pay he will come and remove the guttering.

I am not easily frightened but I am 73 and my husband is very ill.

I have now found that the soffit is hanging off the wall because he took down the old soffit and the screws in the new are not long enough to even reach the wall so it is just wedged there.

I have now been told that the reason he did not want to take a check from me was because he gets social and invalidity money because he was ijured in the fall.

I am seriously thinking of notifying the social.

I would realy like your comments please.
Drinda

maninthestreet

Trading standards - call them, first thing tomorrow.

Drinda

Thank you maninthestreet I didn't think of them, when you have all this worry you don't think straight.
Thanks again Drinda.

jaz_2

maninthestreet wrote: »

Trading standards - call them, first thing tomorrow.

And second thing tomorrow call the DSS if you know that he's fraudulently claiming invalidity benefit.

pinkshoes

I would call DSS first thing tomorrow morning, and report him. If he's claiming invalidity benefit and working, then he is a despicable and deserves naming and shaming.

My second call would be to trading standards.

I would also then write him a recorded delivery letter stating that as agreed on <date>, £1500 has been paid for <list things done>, and that no further money is owed.

I presume he took the £1000?

Anihilator

jaz wrote: »

And second thing tomorrow call the DSS if you know that he's fraudulently claiming invalidity benefit.

Yes its ok to commit fraud when they are doing the OP a favour.

OP - what would an independent builder have charged?

spike7451

Call the police,it's extorsion by threat or coersion & is a criminal offence under the 'Theft Act 1984"

http://www.marymonson.co.uk/blackmail.php

tuggy12

So, he wants another £300 to cover forgotten VAT on the plastic parts.

But £300 would be the VAT on £2000.

The £1500 he quoted you would have been for parts and labour, and the plastic parts are unlikely to cost more than £1000.

So the maximum VAT on the plastic parts would be £150

He's obviously trying it on and in view of the quality problems, I would report him to Trading Standards as suggested by other posters.

tbw

Look, I'm not advocating DSS fraud but I think the OP needs to be cautious about 'shopping' this guy. He's obviously trying to put the screws on her - as is his son- and needs handling with a bit of care otherwise the unpleasantness may get well out of hand. If she reports him its fairly certain he will guess where its come from and might turn VERY nasty. (Or his family might).

Also, the OP probably realised she was getting an 'under the counter ' job at a cheaper rate so she does have some small responsibility for condoning whatever devious fraud he might have been up to. (A lot of us have probably done something similar - I know I've paid cash instead of cheque or CC and got a cheaper price and been 99.9% certain that the tradesman hasn't declared it).

Maybe the way to go is to get a younger, well built male friend to visit the guy (with you) and inform him politely but very clearly, that if he doesn't stop harrassing you, you WILL report him to the DSS - and remind him that a bad back will then be the least of his problems!

I know its tempting to shop the guy but that won't get the OP out of a very worrying situation. She needs to do whats best for her and her DH .

Drinda

Hi Thank you all for your relpies,
First, I thought he was just a builder as I have often seen him with ladders ect on his van, I did know that he had a accident a couple of years ago as I used to see him with his arm in a sling,
I did not know anything about him personally and I doubt if he would tell if he was on the fiddle.

2] When he had fitted all the plastics I asked him if he wanted some of the money to cover what he had spent and he said the plastics came to £460 odd so I gave him £500 and said I would give him the other £1000 when he had finnished as he only had to buy 2 cans of paint he did not mention more money then, he only came up with that when he had put the last lick of paint on, he said the paint was £30 a tin but the same Dulux Weathersield is £19.99 in homebase and if you buy it on the 10% day's 2 cans would be £36, so he said he buys it at Jewsons because he gets trade, but the £1000 was for the paint and labour.

My husband thought that was a lot for the plastic but I went on line to Screwfix and it came to £445 but he bought it somewhere else, but it is this £460 that he is trying to tell me has £300 vat on it and I told him I am Old, I am thick round the middle, But I am Not thick in the head, no company would deliver all this stuff allow you to cut it and install it and then ask for their money so he must have known how much it came to including the vat and as vat was 15% at the time and even if the materials came to £500 that would only be £75 Vat and I said I don't need a clculator. I also said I go online and check the prices, he does not know how to.

Where I live all the neibours help each other Electrician next door plumber up the road a chap who mends cars, when your not well someone will alway's knock to see if you want anything, and I do a bit of sewing for them alter trouseres ect, we all pay for what we want done but never rip anyone off so that's how our little world goes round untill someone like this comes along and rocks the boat.
Thanks a lot Drinda.

dacouch

I agree with reporting it to the OFT / Trading Standards, they take builders intermedating elderly customers very seriously. A lot of local trading standards have agreements with the local council and police to have quick response teams