Builder is threatening me.

Anihilator

DirtPoorGuy wrote: »

Trading standards will use everything at their disposal to sort this guy out, as well as possibly taking him to court they will also report him to the Police for intimidation, DSS for working while claiming benefits and the Inland Revenue for tax avoidance and if he is paying rent no doubt since they are an arm of the local council will report him for a false claim of housing benefit which will no doubt jeapordise his tenancy.

That should leave him with enough concerns to keep him out of your face.

Will trading standards be interested if this is his only job?

If he genuinely did this as a one off favour type job I cant see trading standards giving much of a stuff.

SkipE

Yep trading standards will most certainly be invovled and interested. Even if it is a favour or a friend. Theres a contract (be it verbal) in place. We have an excellent trading standard dept in my borough who do fantastic work. I hope yours is just as good! x

Drinda

NO I did not think I was getting it on the cheap, perhaps one of you builders would give me an idea how much you think it should have been then to.
cover the facia with new plastic type, replace the guttering and one downpipe ,
cover the soffit to the side wall with plastic type and paint the whole side wall and a small amount on the front wall, that took a little over a 5lt can. he charged me over a thousand pounds for labour that he said would only take 4 day's and this is only a pensioners bungalow so I don't see how that is on the cheap.

Thanking you Drinda.

ps I am going to the CAB tomorrow.

jaz_2

Anihilator wrote: »

Will trading standards be interested if this is his only job?

How do you know this is his only job? You seem to made a lot of assumptions on this thread, not far short of calling the OP a liar. Here's hoping they treat your comments with the comtempt they deserve.

Drinda

I went to the CAB yesterday and they were very good, they phoned me last night to say they had dsicussed it and were sending me more info and addresses to contact and other things I must do, get estimates ect and a surveyers report, I have to give him 7 day's to respond to a letter I have sent recordrd delivery, if he doesn't then I have to go back to them next week.

Thank's a lot Drinda.

Drinda

The builder has responded to the recorded letter I sent him yesterday, he phoned me as nice as pie and said he will come and see me tomorrow to see what he can do to make a better job, also this morning I spoke to another old lady who I know he had done work for, I asked her if she was satisfied with what he had done and she said not really and she was shocked how much he charged her, he did not tell how much before he started when she asked him he said "don't worry it won't be much" all he had to do was emulsion her little kitchen it is only a 1 bed pensioners flat,
He was only there three and a half hours and some of that time he was on the phone, when he finnished he said I'll only charge you the same hourly rate as I get at work, she nearly fainted when he charged her £295.

I am waiting to see what he has to say for himself tomorrow.

Drinda

Drinda

After recieving my letter telling him I had taken legal advice the builder came to see me on Friday and agreed the job could have been done better, he came back at the weekend and did try to alter the Soffit/Bargeboard, it is now safe I think, but he could not take out the fixing pins, he said that some of them had missed the rafter so were just hanging there so he has nailed them up at an angle so they go in to the rafter. With regards to the threats to me he said his son is a bit of a hot head, I told him that is all very well but I am in my seventies and he is a very big lad in his thirties and that is very intimidating and if he sets foot on my property again I will report him and take legal action, the builder said don't do that just give me a ring, he also admitted he should not of asked for another £300 as he did quote £1500 and I have had a roofer look at the work and he said £1500 was more than enough for a good job and he would not call this a good job.

Thanks for all your comments Drinda.

sagalout1954

Drinda - contact your local Age Concern, they should have a list of REPUTABLE trades people (& trustworthy) in your area. Personally, I think it would be money well spent to employ one of them to check over this man's work.

In the future, well perhaps stick to people Age Concern recommend, safer in the long run. A lot of 'rogues' out there!

ALIBOBSY

Sorry about your experience. We use our next door neighbour for jobs like this and although I wouldn't say he is cheap (although he does knock some off for us) he is certainly not expensive and does a brilliant job, to the point where he is obsessive about making sure a job is perfect lol.

Mind you should see him run when they had mice, he hates rats and mice lol. Best to get recomendations from someone you know, but age concern sound a good bet.

Good luck for the next time and well done for standing up to him.

ali x

cvd

contact your local Age Concern, they should have a list of REPUTABLE trades people (& trustworthy) in your area.

I used Age Concern and ended up with a couple of cowboys.
Firstly you need to know that Age Concern gets 5% of what you pay and secondly their system for monitoring the tradespeople depends on the honesty of the tradespeople - i.e it doesn't work. The only benefit is that Age Concern will support you in making a formal case against the tradesman if you wish to go that far, which I did not. I just paid someone else (not suggested by Age Concern but personal recommendation) to sort the mess out.