Are any of you any good at letter writing?

drsquirrel

Stephb1986 wrote: »

We have done we have also had a firm in that has cleaned the kitchen with a product called 429 which they use in hospitals and there is still bacteria in the kitchen.

This is a serious matter not something to be joked about imagine if it was your own house that has been like it for the last 11 weeks.

If you had a professional cleaning company in, I would be complaining to them if it wasn't clean!

And forward the bill to the people who made the mistake.

And why didn't you get tests for faeces et al? And *which* bacteria was tested for/found?

And what does a doctor say about your illness? (otherwise, it's just your word, and you can also be affected by placebo).

What was the work originally being done?

Stephb1986_2

What happened was my mum had a bath we have a big spa bath so not your standard size bath. Let the water go off she went to dry her hair I was downstairs and all of a sudden all this water started coming through the dining room ceiling I ran upstairs to find that the water from the bath was now overflowing the shower tray so I put the plug in the bath ran down stairs got every conceivable container I possibly could to collect this water including pots and pans! Not realising the journey the bath water had made which is.....

From the bath into/across the soil stack as it was full (we didn't know at this point) and into the shower tray over the shower tray into the dining room/kitchen.

We threw down towels ect ect the water was coming out really quickly even through the light fitting.

We rang the halifax and they said they would send someone out to sort it out. We had Munters who came out he is the guy who put the fan in the kitchen we also had another firm attend after he left to clear the outside drain as it was blocked.

Munters appointed a sub contractor to do the building works there was no work being carried out at the house prior to the incident. So he appointed Heightvale the builders. They came had a look said we needed a new ceiling in the dining room, garage (because it went into there too) new floor in the bathroom new cupboards in the bathroom ect ect ect. As far as they were concerned they were not aware that this was sewage.

We had environmental health out as Halifax were taking their time about getting the drain outside fixed the company that was carrying out the work cancelled on us 6 times in 2 weeks for various lame reasons. The young man that came from environmental health had just moved to this area from Workington. He said he could give them some sort of order that they get the drain replaced within a certain length of time. He also noticed the fan in the kitchen and explained to us what it had been doing we had already had this fan in for a few weeks by now. As soon as he explained what it was doing it clicked that he was right that there if effluent being fanned across the kitchen.

We explained this to the guy when he came back he said he would look into it. The drain got replaced eventually and building work started just before easter. We had informed the builders that this was sewage we were dealing with and not just clean water. We had been left 8 weeks with no shower or bath so were having to travel a 50 mile round trip to my uncles house in order to have a bath/shower. As every time we used the shower we were getting visits from toilet tissue and effluent also when you turned the spa jets on in the bath you got sprayed with it too. We spoke to many firms about this and they came to the conclusion that yes the drain had been cleared but the small pipe work in the bathroom had not been flushed and thats why this was happening. We told them this also.

So they came to carry out the building work on the house starting with the bathroom they said they could run a product called 429 through the bath system to clean it out but when assessing the job on the day they thought it was easier to remove the bath from the house and carry the job out so two guys and one big spa bath trying to get it down the stairs after scratching all down the side of it and snapping a big chunk off a corner we got it down the stairs (we as in my mum me and these two guys) we put it on a flat bed truck and off it went so we haven't had a bath or sink in the house for the last three weeks, they have replaced the small pipe work but attached old pipe work at the places they go in the bathroom so they didn't go back into the floor they have left the ends of these pipes open so therefore the traps have no water in and they lead to the soil stack which leads to the main drain outside. So we probably have been breathing in the drain for the last three weeks.

The building firm was also asked to clean the kitchen which they did on Thursday just gone two simple looking fellows walked in with a bottle of flash! After explaining the situation to them they had to ring their boss. They then cleaned the kitchen with a product called Milgo, they also used this product on the dining room table but what they did not do was extend the table to the full length to clean the "leaf" we have since pulled it out and noticed that the leaf is a totally different colour from the rest of the table, wait a second you can say yeah maybe the sun bleached the table a different colour as it's infront of a big window but as the table is wooden it is possible BUT how would the sun bleach a wooden table darker than the inner leaf?? The only conclusion is that the product they used on the table has bleached it darker. Their boss came out on the same day to swab the kitchen we got the results back on monday saying that there is still bacteria in the kitchen but the kitchen was only tested for bacteria not urine and faeces which it should of been tested for.

We did not appoint the cleaning company munters did this proves their negligence. They have also admitted this in a phone conversation.

We did not pay for the swab tests munters did we can however get them to come back and swab for this.

The doctor said that clearly what has happened has caused us to be so ill.

There was no work being carried out at the house before all this happened we were happy with the house.

So thats the full story in short. We have been messed about something rotten they even wanted to clean a £11 light fitting that had sewage running through it like it was a waterfall!

We will only get the bath and sink back on Friday god knows what state the bath is in when we get it.

If you would like pics I can email them to any of you providing that you help me with this. We know what we want to say but it's using the right terminology for it.

frannyann

Hi Steph, I would probably just the bulk of your post as the letter ie:

Stephb1986 wrote: »

Dear Sir
We rang the halifax, on xx/xx/xx after a flood from our bath. Halifax arranged for Munters to attend. They send out a man who put a de-humindifier fan in the kitchen. This where our problems began.

Munters appointed a sub contractor, Heightvale the builders, they came and assessed the damage. As far as they were concerned they were not aware that this water contaminated with sewage.

We had to involve environmental health as contractor arranged by the Halifax repeatedly delayed repair work to the outside drain. The Enviromental health officer noticed the work to our house and reported that the water that had leaked from the ceiling was highly like to be contaminated with sewage

We explained this to the contractor from Munters, when he came back he said he would look into it. The drain got replaced eventually and building work started just before easter. We had informed the builders that this was sewage we were dealing with and not just clean water. We had been left 8 weeks with no shower or bath so were having to travel a 50 mile round trip to my uncles house in order to have a bath/shower. As every time we used the shower we were getting visits from toilet tissue and effluent also when you turned the spa jets on in the bath you got sprayed with it too. We spoke to many firms about this and they came to the conclusion that the drain had been cleared but the small pipe work in the bathroom had not been flushed and thats why this was happening. We told them this also.

So they came to carry out the building work on the house starting with the bathroom they said they could run a product called 429 through the bath system to clean it out but when assessing the job on the day they thought it was easier to remove the bath from the house and carry the job out so two guys and one big spa bath trying to get it down the stairs after scratching all down the side of it and snapping a big chunk off a corner we got it down the stairs, we put it on a flat bed truck and off it went so we haven't had a bath or sink in the house for the last three weeks, they have replaced the small pipe work but attached old pipe work at the places they go in the bathroom so they didn't go back into the floor they have left the ends of these pipes open so therefore the traps have no water in and they lead to the soil stack which leads to the main drain outside. So we probably have been breathing in the drain for the last three weeks.

The building firm was also asked to clean the kitchen which they did on Thursday xx/xx two employees walked in with a bottle of flash! After explaining the situation to them they had to ring their boss. They then cleaned the kitchen with a product called Milgo, they also used this product on the dining room table but what they did not do was extend the table to the full length to clean the "leaf" we have since pulled it out and noticed that the leaf is a totally different colour from the rest of the table, not darker as would be expected from sun 'bleaching'. Therefore only conclusion we can arrive at is that the product they used on the table has stained it darker. A representative of Munters came out on the same day to swab the kitchen we got the results back on monday saying that there is still bacteria in the kitchen but the kitchen was only tested for bacteria not urine and faeces which it should of been tested for.

We did not appoint the cleaning company, Munters did, we feel this proves their negligence. They have also admitted this in a phone conversation.

We did not pay for the swab tests munters did we can however get them to come back and swab for this.

The doctor said that clearly what has happened has caused us to be so ill.

I require that your company to clean to a profession standard which would bring my home to a safe and liveable condition.

Yours

No sure what else you want them to do, but you can put that in on last sentence!

Stephb1986_2

Thanks Frannyann atlast someone has taken me seriously!

Steph xx

frannyann

Stephb1986 wrote: »

Thanks Frannyann atlast someone has taken me seriously!

Steph xx

No problems steph, did it a bit of a rush as this lappy has a habit of losing posts, you may want to tidy it a bit!

sindygirl58

Whata terroble situation you are in.

by now, i would be expecting halifax to be paying for you to have alternative accomoadation . I was at a young couples house whilst their assesor was in,ealing with a bathrom prob, i asked for them , as they were too shy, about accomodations, as they had no wash or bathing facilities, and she gave them 2 nights in a hotel. so badger them for this.
the firms involved will have public liabilitl insur , so between halifax and them matters should be fixed.
Also put in a claim to them for your extra losses, ie, travelling to the other house etc!!

sindygirl58

excuse spelling, am typing in the dark!!

Laz123

Apologies Steph. I thought this was a windup. I should have a word with CAB or perhaps invest in a solictor. You should get a free half an hour with any good one.

Stephb1986_2

Hi Laz,

We wish it was a wind up! I think we are going to end up going down the solicitors route because so far the Halifax have been diabolical in handling this if any of you have insurance with the Halifax and it's due for renewal some time soon please go else where. I mean seriously thinking they could clean an £11 light fitting!! They wanted us to wash the towels that we used on the floor they also wanted us to wash all the table cloths and napkins that were on the table and use them again.

They have been covered in excrement, We have no carpet at the moment in the dining room or bathroom.

It would of been hard for us to be moved out of the house because we have a dog I know you can say you can put her in kennels but she had cancer last year and is getting quite old she's not too sure on other people either. When we have been talking to other people they have told us that when things like this has happened to their neighbours they was moved into a rented house around the corner and their situation wasn't even as bad as ours.

The george foreman we have was covered in it we have cleaned it but we wont eat off it. They were suppose to clean it the other day but they didn't even so what about the areas they can't get to?

The whole thing has been handled wrong

Equaliser123

Laz123 wrote: »

Apologies Steph. I thought this was a windup. I should have a word with CAB or perhaps invest in a solictor. You should get a free half an hour with any good one.

Just on the "free half hour" point, this is usually a mechanism to get instructions and is not solicitors being kind to the world. Be prepared to have to pay out if you 'properly' instruct them.