Ripped off By Builder

lisawaters

Nope. Nor VAT registered. Used his wife's current account for the business.... and still no-one official is interested. I do not know why the rest of us bother staying within the law. Who's the idiot?

I have months of court hearings to look forward to once I'm able to begin. The problem is not that I want my money back, but that I need it.

JohnnyJet

lisawaters wrote: »

Nope. Nor VAT registered. Used his wife's current account for the business.... and still no-one official is interested. I do not know why the rest of us bother staying within the law. Who's the idiot?

I have months of court hearings to look forward to once I'm able to begin. The problem is not that I want my money back, but that I need it.

Oh I thought that you were in a better position than that. I'm making some progress with the authorities now but only because I have spent weeks sifting through all the paperwork to find a small technicality and handing it to them on a plate. Not getting my hopes up but it's promising.

JohnnyJet

Just watched DIYSOS and am very pleased for Mike. I hope he has now got what he wanted.

JohnnyJet

Wife in bed ill and kids under control for a few minutes so I just though I would update people on my progress.

First the legal stuff. I'm still occasionally looking into it but losing heart really, every new person we come across needs convincing that we have been conned, we just seem to go round in a loop and the builder comes out with blatant lies which we then need to prove false. Thankfully we have all the evidence but there is so much of it. There is a case of fraud to answer, which I wish I could go into, but the police say it will be too much effort to take him to court. That leaves us on our own again and my wife wants to forget it all. I am finding it very difficult to come to terms with and may need to get some sort of counselling.

As for the house, it is progressing well and I have nearly finished the ground floor, apart from a bit of painting and lack of carpet. I'm going to buy off cuts and fit the carpet myself as I have already fitted one room in the house. Probably about 2-3 weeks away from finishing. While I am doing that I need to start thinking about how I can progress the upstairs. There is so much to do up there and it still has no walls, just studding. I'm going to buy a book on carpentry and see what I can do, I prefer reading a book rather than looking on the internet sometimes as the information is easier to follow and quicker to find when you are in the middle of some building work. I am very happy with this side of things as having a finished ground floor is a major milestone. I'm itching to get outside and tidy up the garden, still full of rubbish.

Financially we are now struggling, it has cost us so much to get to this stage that we are now living on reduced price food and any bargain that we can find. Any spare cash goes on building material for the house. I must now start to look for a second job or even do some private work in the evenings.

Happy new year everyone, hoping for a better year than the last one.

MatyMoo

Happy New Year to you and yours JJ :j

You have come such a long way and I am sorry that things are still so tough for you but a WHOLE DOWNSTAIRS :T:T:T

I wish I could find words and practical advice for you, I know that these rogue traders need to be stopped but it seems all legal avenues have failed you & Mike so far. You just hope that these people do not rest easy in their beds and that one day they get their comeuppance.

Keep on going, I know it has been a long hard road but you are making things better for you and your family each and every day.

Maty
-x-

Butti

Happy new year JJ.
This one has to be better than the last,

All the best
B x

Butterfliesarepretty

Hi I just read this thread and cant believe the conman has got away with it!:mad:

I would have liked to have seen the programme but I cant find it on the internet.

My plasterer two years ago damaged my sofa and I only noticed after he had gone. I paid him £2k to reskim my bedroom walls, ceiling, stairs, kitchen and lounge ceiling and walls and put a lowered ceiling in the bedroom. Previous hairline cracks are now starting to show through now. But I didnt contact him again about the sofa, I didnt see the point to be honest.

Can anyone find the programme on the internet for me?

miggy

Here you go, Butterflies:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00x3t9v/DIY_SOS_Series_21_The_Big_Build_Littlehampton/

Johnny, I'm sorry it's still so hard going. I do think you're amazing, though - with your family to look after, you've completed the ground floor so you all have somewhere of your own to live, and safely too. In addition you've given yourself some great skills that will always stand you in good stead.
Not long now till the warmer weather and you can get the garden done. If you have a Netto near you, or a similar cheap supermarket, keep a look out for seeds. They can be very cheap bought this way and it will give you something good to look forward to, besides saving you cash in the longer term if you are any better than I am at growing veg!
It's worth trying Freecycle for plants and garden stuff.:) Also for carpet off cuts...
Happy New Year! It's going to be better than the last one.

JohnnyJet

Butterfliesarepretty wrote: »

Hi I just read this thread and cant believe the conman has got away with it!:mad:

I would have liked to have seen the programme but I cant find it on the internet.

My plasterer two years ago damaged my sofa and I only noticed after he had gone. I paid him £2k to reskim my bedroom walls, ceiling, stairs, kitchen and lounge ceiling and walls and put a lowered ceiling in the bedroom. Previous hairline cracks are now starting to show through now. But I didnt contact him again about the sofa, I didnt see the point to be honest.

Can anyone find the programme on the internet for me?

He hasn't got away with it yet but I'm losing hope.

My plaster broke our fireplace but he denied it so we had to pay £200 to get it repaired. He also covered up 3 power sockets and I spent a day banging walls to find them. I have no faith in tradesmen any more and I am doing everything myself.
I also have some cracks in the plaster but these can be fixed easily with a bit of filler and repainted. Just wait a few months for them to expand to there maximum and fill them.

Paulgonnabedebtfree

JohnnyJet wrote: »

He hasn't got away with it yet but I'm losing hope.

My plaster broke our fireplace but he denied it so we had to pay £200 to get it repaired. He also covered up 3 power sockets and I spent a day banging walls to find them. I have no faith in tradesmen any more and I am doing everything myself.
I also have some cracks in the plaster but these can be fixed easily with a bit of filler and repainted. Just wait a few months for them to expand to there maximum and fill them.

JJ. You're a better man than me.
I may well have taken illegal revenge long before this stage.
His vans would be off the road. His property would have suffered damage. Maybe his person would have suffered damage too.
Such things don't come naturally to me but there are times in life when I just feel like saying "Stuff the moral high ground and take some satisfaction from the other person's demise".
I know that's not a healthy attitude. When I was younger and wilder, I'm damn sure I would have caused him harm. These days, perhaps not. Although vermin such as your original builder appear to have no conscience, I do believe that they suffer at some level. It sounds like he has peed off a lot of people and it would be difficult to know for sure who was getting back at him if it was done in certain ways. The trouble with stuff like that is that it can boomerang back and bite your own !!!!. I doubt I need to elaborate because I'm sure you've had plenty of your own fantasies. Maybe not. Maybe you are psychologically healthier than me.