Getting money back from cowboy builders

lisawaters

norfythenorf wrote: »

Mike,
I came across your original thread only yesterday when I got my weekly newsletter email from MSE.

Don’t tell my boss, but I spent most of my day reading it, and finished all 226 pages last night, only to find that it stops at the completed renovation stage, and there’s a new thread with 85 pages – aaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhhh!

Anyway, firstly I was absolutely captivated by your story and unable to tear myself away from it. I was sitting at home last night thinking that I must contact you and wishing I had noted your email address as I had trawled through. I am relieved that this thread is open as I think I would have gone mad going through all those pages again looking for your email address.

I like so many of “Mike’s Mob” noticed the change in the mood of your posts and some of the humour from you and the mob was simply priceless and had me laughing aloud at times. I have had a bit of a tough time myself over the last 10 years for different reasons to your own but with our old friend depression in the background, and I found so much of your story in my life too, like for example needing to make important calls but not able to do it until a couple of days after it needed to be made. I know only too well how difficult it can be to get motivated, how the mood swings affect those around us etc. My issues are quite minor though in comparison (actually, on reflection, not minor, just different), and I admire you for what you have achieved. It’s also confirmed something that I had come to realise fairly recently, that generally things only change if we do something about it. Moping in corners is the easy bit and ultimately gets us nowhere. I, like you, am up off my bum and dealing with stuff I should have sorted out years ago, and boy do I feel better for doing it too! My glass is now half full, and I am hopeful that sometime soon I will be getting a top up too.

I haven’t watched the show yet, it was too late last night after I had downloaded it, and I had wanted to read through before watching it. Something to look forward to tonight!

Having pitched in at the end of this thread (must do some work today after all!) I see you haven’t nailed Mr Nasty yet, I will try to go back to the beginning though to pick up on the details.

Fantastic news regarding the renovation, so much support from all those strangers, old news now I know but as I said I only found the story yesterday. You couldn’t make it up!

I wish you luck with whatever you are doing to get your money back, and one day, perhaps this time next year Rodney, we’ll be millionaires.

Thank you for writing this. It sums up the situation really well. We are all entitled to spend the odd few hours moping in corners, staying in bed or whatever feels right, and it's simpler to just do it and try again the next day when we have a bit more puff. I accept this as part of getting better.

I fear the threads must have cost British industry a few bob in lost time... but it's worth it! I don't know what sort of problems you face but they are as important as anyone else's. I'm sure if you ask for help and advice you will find people very willing to support you.

The iPlayer version, even if downloaded, switches off tonight but there are links to downloadable versions a few pages back that should work forever.

Hang in there.

m

Wee_Bargain_Hunter

lisawaters wrote: »

You can request an Order in Questionning and get the debtor into court to answer set and extra questions about his finances under oath. I did this with Paul Bridle but the court made a pig's ear of it and much of the information I wanted was missing or incorrect. He claimed under oath that he had one other CCJ (from my memory) and it later transpired that he had six. I told the judge and he said that it wouldn't have made my position stronger even if he had told the truth. The implication was that if I wanted to bring a separate case against him for lying under oath, I could do that at my expense. The court was satisfied that he had made a statement. They are not there to verify what he says.

The legal system is there to process paperwork. They don't make judgements on matters of this kind. If it went to a High Court there may be a jury.

But basically he had no assets (at least that anyone could find) so he couldn't pay me anything. I do not believe this is true. The only person likely to know where all the money went from the seven frauds he did that year, is his tax adviser. She cannot be forced to give that information.

All tied up tight as a tick.

x

The above are my thoughts and are not meant to suggest that he is guilty of any deception or wrongdoing.

Might be worth asking about this on the money boards or a more specialised forum. AFAIK with benefit fraud, accountants etc *can* be forced to provide info as a friend of mine told me this happened with her ex as he wasn't paying child maintenance. Maybe it's the same with this kind of fraud? Alternatively has Mr Bad been involved with any other fraud or tribunals etc where the info might be publically available? Eg council tax etc?

Also did he supply exactly the same info to the courts for any other cases brought against him or did the info differ from that supplied for your case? Is he living on thin air? Is the court interested with any inconsistencies eg if he has a good lifestyle? Can he be forced to provide his day-to-day bank account details or can local banks be forced to supply info - can the police do a credit check to see where he banks? Maybe armed with more info, your case could be revisited?

Just thinking out loud as I am not familar with things like this so could be barking up the wrong tree. Sorry for all the questions, you've probably thought of these things already - I'm not looking for answers but maybe there's something there that will trigger something. Good luck!

miggy

Poosmate wrote: »

I would share my cheesy sprouts with Jasper...
Poo

I used to wonder where you got your name...

miggy

Butti wrote: »

and can't get over that bit where the grumpy plumber is wandering round an overcrowded kitchen going on about it being 'His room' and the look the painter gives him while she swerves to avoid him. Makes me laugh every time.

B

I must have missed that bit! (Absent-mindedly reaches for DVD before recalling that family may eventually want dinner).

lisawaters

If anyone wishes to write to DIY SOS about the Littlehampton programme, please e-mail it to catherine.worrall@bbc.co.uk and she will forward it to Nick Knowles and his gang, and the production team. If you want to copy me in [EMAIL="onthecoastnow@live.co.uk"]onthecoastnow@live.co.uk[/EMAIL], I'd like to keep it with the other souvenirs.


I have sent this to the team on behalf of myself and the boys...


January 6, 2011



To everyone at DIY SOS



I am writing on behalf of the boys and myself to say how much we enjoyed the programme on the Littlehampton project. There was so much we had not seen before, and even the bits we were involved in filming were fascinating and so cleverly edited.

We have had many messages of support since the programme went out on Thursday, and we are overwhelmed both by people’s kindness, and by the number of people who felt this was one of the best episodes they’d seen. People tracked us down through Facebook, email, Google and of course through the moneysavingexpert.com forums. Everyone has been complimentary, and the past week has been immensely emotional and touching. I even received a ‘welcome to your new home card’ from a lady who addressed it simply to ‘Mike and the Boys, Littlehampton…’ Well done the Royal Mail!

2010 was the year when things went totally into reverse for us. Things a year ago were pretty bad; I hadn’t faced up to how bad they were. It’s obvious now that your intervention came at the eleventh hour, and without it things would probably have been very bad for us as a family.

The house is as gorgeous as on the day you finished it. I did put a clock up in the kitchen, and there were two pipe bursts which fortunately happened when I was in the house which did no damage, but the design and workmanship was so brilliant, I feel confident that the house will be a safe and comfortable home for a very long time.

Jack and Sam have been here every chance they got, they have brought friends for the weekends, and they feel a real ownership of the house, which I had always hoped they would. We are able to get together and do normal things, rather than just exist. This Christmas was the best we have ever had together. I am intensely proud of them.

Some of the neighbours had an SOS party on the 30th and we went along to thank them for their patience during the work, then we came back to the house and watched the programme together. As bonding experiences go, that took some beating!

I managed to undertake some real work at the end of last year, which suggested that I can still do it. My health generally is much better and I can see my depression beginning to lift. I am desperate to get back to working full-time and being able to pay the bills and start rebuilding our future. I am thinking about how I can pursue the builder, but I don’t feel able to do anything on that front quite yet. Fortunately I don’t have a deadline as I did before.

The experience of working with everyone on the DIY SOS team from initial contact to last Thursday has been utterly wonderful. I said more about this in my previous note to you, and I can’t really explain to anyone quite how caring and funny and professional you have all been. As I said before, at no time did we feel anyone was ‘doing us a favour’ and when people have asked if you were all how you appear on screen in real life, I could absolutely confirm this to be the case.

I am determined that the good luck I have had will be paid forward, and that some resource for helping people in a similar position to my own will be set up to provide encouragement and advice. For many of the people who volunteered to help out, or who just followed the internet threads, this has been life-changing too.

I understand that the audience figures for this episode were good. Certainly the forums are awash with people saying how much they enjoyed it and how moving it was. Job done, I think.

You are an extraordinary team of people, and we will always be profoundly grateful to you.

Thank you.




Mike, Jack and Sam

RAS

Mike

Just managed to watch the programme at last. Still snuffling.

Boy, there were some special problems for the DIY team!

I know I said something similiar around the time of the build, but do you realise how recent your first post on MSE was? I remember trying to decide that first night whether telling you about the problemns with COs was necessary so that you could move on from there, or whether it would be too devastating.

So glad things turned round.

Glad that you managed to do some work. Besides your normal profession, you realise that you write beautiful, eloquent prose? Ever thought of a sideline? Even if it is only reviewing something you love?

And ain't she a beautiful little haven now?

Tigger1000

RAS wrote: »

Mike

Besides your normal profession, you realise that you write beautiful, eloquent prose? Ever thought of a sideline?

Mmm, yes. I don't know what medium you use for your graphic design, but you paint beautifully with words!

:D:D

archer5

I just watched the programme and my eyes filled with tears... I am so happy for you. I'm definately going to watch this again. Brilliant, brilliant BRILLIANT! You've got good kids.... watching a parent 'go under' emotionally is not easy. They are to be commended for the love they have for you..... and the DIY SOS team made me laugh! Couldn't believe the 'before' and 'after' either... Just know you had a lovely Christmas making new plans for the future... Wonderful!

MatyMoo

So many lovely posts again!

Good thanks SB But check your PM's

Persephone - Keep posting, if not here somewhere else within MSE - they are a really supportive bunch (generally, but watch for trolls )

RuthnJasper - Have read some of your posts in the past, good to see you posting again and your sense of humour is welcome here :T

Mike1901 - For someone so young you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. Good luck at Uni and in your chosen career

QPR Boy - How nice to hear more stories of lovely young people, they do get such a bad press and good for you volunteering for a great charity :T

Mariemcg - I am sure the wonderful Tealady will make herself known soon enough :cool:

Tigger - Thanks for the link to the Daily Mail (or for making me go & read it). Unbelievable - well actually it isn't, the law is an !!! :mad: as someone far cleverer than me wrote

Butti - I didn't think the plumber was nearly as grumpy as he made out!

Norfythenorf - Fantastic post Even someone like me that has never encountered the Black Dog could begin to understand how awful and debilitating it is from your description.

Mike - Anything useful in Wee Bargain Hunters post???? Will write to the BBC over the weekend. Need to get my head out of work mode for that one Loved your letter What about using your writing talent to write a book of your experience over the last few years? You have the ability to make even the worst situation something people want to read about :j

Right need to go and concentrate on this weeks episode - is it me or do Chris and Nick need a good haircut?????

Maty
-x

Ritaroo

Just watched this on iplayer in the nick of time as it were and I have just about pulled myself together and wiped away the tears. Your house looks amazing and you really deserve it after all you have all been through over the past few years. I hope you get a good resolution with the builder from hell but if there is such a thing as karma lets hope what goes around comes around.

It was fantastic that you had so much support and your boys are such a credit to you. Wishing you all health and happiness in 2011.