Help! Badly Built House

RHemmings

Generali wrote:

I for one am shocked and amazed.

So am I. But only because the builder seems to be able to wriggle out of it. If this were a consumer good, the sale of goods act would apply, and the purchaser could go to court to force the seller to hold up their end of the contract. Is this not possible for newbuild house purchases?

montypython_3

Oh dear you have to laugh or you'd cry

Just called them myself to speak to this manager as she hadnt called me back. I'm now told she's off until monday and someone's took my number to get another manager to call me back! I'll not hold my breath, I'm halfway through a letter to go recorded delivery to them with the engineers report.

As RHemmings says is there any laws they are breaking by not providing the proper goods I've paid for? Anything I can quote in my letter?

lyric_grace

Stories like this sound all too familiar, I too have a new build property and I don't expect it to be perfect and I'm quite happy for them to resolve problems, but having to wait and wait and wait for promised phone calls makes me sooooooo angry, I wouldn't be like this if they just even rang and said "sorry mr X isn't in but can I help?" or anything, a little bit of acnowledgement goes a long way!!!! I hope you can get it sorted out!

montypython_3

Just had a call back from the receptionist who took my call earlier. She's managed to get hold of another manager who's driving at the moment so cant call me back and apparently i've just got to put the report in the post and they will "look" at it.

Ever felt completely fobbed off? You get the feeling they'll deny receiving it for a few days? Thank the post office for recorded delivery.

All I want is a nice worry free house for my wife, myself and my beautiful baby daughter. I thought thats what I was getting but was £125,000 not enough to get me that?

Generali

I've had a company deny receiving post they've signed for...and they expected me just to accept it!

Good luck with this. It's crazy, 2 of lifes biggest purchases, a house and a car, and it seems you have almost no comeback against the sellers.

montypython_3

I know it really annoys me, is there no law or rule about a new built house being in good repair etc????

Anything anyone knows I can quote in the letter?

If you buy something from a shop that doesnt work you can take it back, well things in my house dont work can take that back???? :rotfl:

Madmel

Could you "have a cousin who works for [substitute name of local ITV company]"? This is our family's way of getting reluctant companies to pull their fingers out.

When you next contact them by phone and the manager is out/sick/driving/whatever, sigh and say "I was so hoping it wouldn't come to this, but my cousin who works for XXX has been dying to run my story on their consumer affairs programme. I can't fob her off any longer." If you sound really fed up but in control, it works even better.

I would given them 48 hours then contact your local paper and/or radio station. If you take the view that you just want the problems resolved, rather than being confrontational (you haven't come across as this BTW!) you should stand a good chance of your problems being aired more publicly. Good luck and keep us posted.

terrierlady

you have paid good money for this product and deserve to have all the snags put right, its not a bespoke home and its only as good as the trades people who produced the product, ask to speak to the MD and let them know what the problems are and how you expect them to deal with your complaints give them a reasonable timescale.

tomstickland

Seems totally unacceptable to me and they're probably hoping that if they do nothing you'll go away.

Have you asked about public health risk? It might be worth calling the planning dept at the local council.

montypython_3

UPDATE:

I've sent a nice long letter detailing all the problems we have had from the day we put a deposit on to today. I worded it strongly but politely advising that in the whole we are very disapointed with what should have been our "dream" lol home! See if by being polite but listing all our issued will hpefully appeal to the builders better nature before I go in for compensation.

The customer service manager finally called me back and was very polite and nice and apologised but unfortunately this doesnt do me any good!

She has offered to send their handyman round to look at all the little issues but apparently her boss and the site development manager will call be back today regarding the drains, We'll wait and see.

Do you guys think I should get there handyman round or wait til the drains are sorted then go in for a final compensation offer instead?