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help/advice needed for dealing with workman
Beverley
Posts: 141 Forumite
Last year I bought a metal galvanised shed. It needed a concret base and, as I haven;t a cluehow to do one I looked around for a builder.
My daughter's friend's mum suggested her partner, a landscapae gardener - apparantly he frequently erects sheds as part of his work. The garden is a mess so it seemed like a good idea to get someone in who could maybe do the gardening as well.
He called in November and said he'd have the shed fully erected on a concrete base by Xmas and that the charge would be £170. In early December he, and a mate, arrived one day and laid the foundation. He then went on holiday but left a message saying his mate would erect the shed.
I then saw no-one for 2 weeks and eventually managed to get in touch with his partner who called his workmate.
The workmate came round late one afternoon and assembled a couple of walls - he then went home. He arrived late the following day and assembled the rest of the walls but gave up doing the rest as the light was fading - he said he's be back the following day. After a week, I tried to contact him as the gale force winds were blowing the sides of the shed about and it was warping.
Several weeks later, the first man came back and finished doing the shed except - the runners had disappeared - so again we had to wait until the manufacturers sent replacements. When they arrived, I called and he said he'd be round that week.
3 weeks later, I got fed up waiting and began ringing round other workmen but he suddenly arrived and finally did the work.
He texted to say he'd done it and I texted back asking for an invoice.
Yesterday he arrived at my door saying that if I pay cash it'll be £170 but if I want to pay by cheque, it'll cost me £200 because it will have to go through the books. I was so shocked that I just nodded and agreed to drop the mony off at his place.
Today I finally went outsie to look at the shed. The doors do not operate properly on the runners and they are a struggle to close. Where the metal was ented in the winds, it had a hole in it - a small one but it is a hole nonethless.
Does anyone have any ideas onhow to proceed with this. I feel I shouldn't pay him what he's asked but he has already paid out money for the conrete to lay the base.
Any thoughts? Advice? help?????
Beverley
My daughter's friend's mum suggested her partner, a landscapae gardener - apparantly he frequently erects sheds as part of his work. The garden is a mess so it seemed like a good idea to get someone in who could maybe do the gardening as well.
He called in November and said he'd have the shed fully erected on a concrete base by Xmas and that the charge would be £170. In early December he, and a mate, arrived one day and laid the foundation. He then went on holiday but left a message saying his mate would erect the shed.
I then saw no-one for 2 weeks and eventually managed to get in touch with his partner who called his workmate.
The workmate came round late one afternoon and assembled a couple of walls - he then went home. He arrived late the following day and assembled the rest of the walls but gave up doing the rest as the light was fading - he said he's be back the following day. After a week, I tried to contact him as the gale force winds were blowing the sides of the shed about and it was warping.
Several weeks later, the first man came back and finished doing the shed except - the runners had disappeared - so again we had to wait until the manufacturers sent replacements. When they arrived, I called and he said he'd be round that week.
3 weeks later, I got fed up waiting and began ringing round other workmen but he suddenly arrived and finally did the work.
He texted to say he'd done it and I texted back asking for an invoice.
Yesterday he arrived at my door saying that if I pay cash it'll be £170 but if I want to pay by cheque, it'll cost me £200 because it will have to go through the books. I was so shocked that I just nodded and agreed to drop the mony off at his place.
Today I finally went outsie to look at the shed. The doors do not operate properly on the runners and they are a struggle to close. Where the metal was ented in the winds, it had a hole in it - a small one but it is a hole nonethless.
Does anyone have any ideas onhow to proceed with this. I feel I shouldn't pay him what he's asked but he has already paid out money for the conrete to lay the base.
Any thoughts? Advice? help?????
Beverley
0
Comments
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dont pay him tell him to take you to court0
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Firstly is he registered as a builder??? I think you need to find out. I would then complain to trading standards about, regardless of if he is a 'friend' or not in that case the job should have been completed correctly. If he has a 'propre' business then all the money should go through the books, under no circumstances should you pay him any money, until u get possibly legal advice, it looks as though he may be a cowboy. sorry.0
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Oh dear,he has done the job badly,and you have not paid him yet.Theres your answer.For me the term "Landscape Gardener " brings thoughts of those friendly folk who lop down your trees and try to charge you £5,000,or lay half an inch of tarmac on your drive.You could point out to him what the faults are,and explain how you are having trouble getting money out of your bank at the moment,due to an administrative problem,but you are sure that by the time he has put the problems right,it will have been sorted out.(as long as you are absolutely sure that the difficulty closing the doors is not due to the quality of the product you have chosen.) When its sorted out,pay him £170,but if you dont pay it by cheque,you may be causing problems for yourself.0
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Oh dear,he has done the job badly,and you have not paid him yet.Theres your answer.For me the term "Landscape Gardener " brings thoughts of those friendly folk who lop down your trees and try to charge you £5,000,or lay half an inch of tarmac on your drive.You could point out to him what the faults are,and explain how you are having trouble getting money out of your bank at the moment,due to an administrative problem,but you are sure that by the time he has put the problems right,it will have been sorted out.(as long as you are absolutely sure that the difficulty closing the doors is not due to the quality of the product you have chosen.) When its sorted out,pay him £170,but if you dont pay it by cheque,you may be causing problems for yourself.
Thanks for this reply - I decided to simply not do anything at all. I just waited it out. Almost a year later, he still hasn't contacted me for payment. I debated on going to small claims court for the damage to the shed but in the end just decided to stick with what I have- a damaged shed which, although it won't be as it should have been, is usable, and a free concrete base.
Beverley0
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