Getting money back from cowboy builders

niccatw

lisawaters wrote: »

Thanks. I don't know why so many people from Scotland are on this money saving site... it's a mystery isn't it?


x

Oi! Quit it!

RuthnJasper

Poosmate wrote: »

I would share my cheesy sprouts with Jasper. I'd like to shake his paw.

Poo

ETA: Old thread has had over 270k views now! Yay!

Hey Poosmate - Cheesy Sprouts YUMMY!

I'm certain that Jasper would LOVE to shake your paw too - he always enjoys meeting good people! You can sniff him out by going to our name to the left of this post and clicking "visit RuthnJasper's homepage" or by Googling "Jasper dog blog" - he's currently the top result for that. Bottom-sniffing is, of course, entirely optional.


Congrats to Mike et al on the new View-Milestone!

Keep smiling!

R&J xxx

RuthnJasper

lisawaters wrote: »

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

Mike - I downloaded the programme via iPlayer yesterday and it says I can still watch it for 5 days - I think it might be 6 days' availability from date of download. Anyway - I recommended it to friends, some of whom watched it and were extremely moved. I think that one programme was worth the licence fee alone, quite honestly.


Keep smiling!

Roo xxx

RuthnJasper

miggy wrote: »

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

MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGZ! :j

Hello again, sweetheart! Have missed you and 'tothers on the anti-Troll place. Roo is getting up again, kicking bottom, and almost ready with Jasper to rejoin the world again! And I can promise you, IfWishes..., and the others that I have kept WELL away from Toilet-Duck-based cocktails whilst in the "dark place". Oh yes. For we have discovered the sweet nectar that is Industrial Carpet Cleaner... slips down a treat with the ol' Merlot, you know... but I fear I am preaching to the partially-converted... will be back and shaking a spear at trolls by your side very, very soon.

BTW, how COOL is Mike, eh?! A modern legend! :T

Keep smiling

Roo & Jazz xxx

P.S. There is a slight chance, Miggz, that due to Vodka/Toilet-Duck consumption (don't tell) that I have confused you with someone else. If so, I apologise. But hey - I'm still doing better - sharing the smiles once again with everyone these days... ;-)

RuthnJasper

MatyMoo wrote: »

So many lovely posts again!

Good thanks SB But check your PM's

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

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

Maty
-x

Thank you Maty - that means a great deal to me, especially at present. To be honest, finding about Mike's story (pure luck; have been avoiding the weekly newsletters as well as bank comms, just decided to scan this latest one as it was a quiet work day) was the straw that restored this camel's back! I love to hear of people who find light and hope in despair through the pure good actions of others and this was the kick I needed at this moment.

Plus, now Mike's a celeb' I'm guessing he might need a minorly-experienced writer to help him with his first bonkbusting semi-autobiographical-novel, hehe - Mike: First three chapters by Monday, OK? And I really think we ought to rethink that chapter with the six weasels and the turnip... :eek:

R xx

RuthnJasper

lisawaters wrote: »

Thanks. I don't know why so many people from Scotland are on this money saving site... it's a mystery isn't it?


x

Mike - isn't that how the Grand Canyon was excavated? A Scottish bloke dropped 2p in Arizona....!:rotfl:

Sorry Scottish friends - just kidding! Actually my first proper bf was a Scottish chap called Douglas... the most GORGEOUS accent and an amazing kisser!

Love to Scots everywhere. x

Night all - sleep sound and keep smiling.

Roo and Jasper xxx

tyr81

Oh what a wonderful end to such a terrible situation, I'm so pleased DIY SOS could help you out Mike.

I sent myself the link on iplayer two days ago and in that time it is now no longer available on iplayer. I really wanted to watch it! If anyone downloaded it and knows how they can share it with me online or knows anywhere else I can watch it that would be amazing. Thanks so much to anyone who can help!
Tom

NualaBuala

lisawaters wrote: »

If anyone wishes to write to DIY SOS about the Littlehampton programme, please e-mail it to [EMAIL="catherine.worrall@bbc.co.uk"]catherine.worrall@bbc.co.uk[/EMAIL] 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

What a beautiful letter Mike! :A

I sent an email too and had a lovely reply from Catherine this morning!

DaisyChainMaker

lisawaters wrote: »

I have gone as far as possible with him. Now comes Phase Two... :cool:


x

uh oh.. phase 2? Is that a case of sending round Mikes Mob to kneecap him? lol xx

Nurseyjo_2

tyr81 wrote: »

Oh what a wonderful end to such a terrible situation, I'm so pleased DIY SOS could help you out Mike.

I sent myself the link on iplayer two days ago and in that time it is now no longer available on iplayer. I really wanted to watch it! If anyone downloaded it and knows how they can share it with me online or knows anywhere else I can watch it that would be amazing. Thanks so much to anyone who can help!
Tom

Hi Tom

If you look at page 78 of the thread, post 1552 has details of how it can be downloaded. You will enjoy watching it.

Jo