Dodgy Builder - Shaun Lomax of Warrington via Ratedpeople.com - DO NOT USE

partpnemesis

rikwill wrote: »

I just wanted to warn anybody thinking of using Shaun Lomax a builder of Warrington (sometimes known as Indie Construction) that he is not only a bad builder but also a dangerous one.

I found Shaun well rated on Ratedpeople.com - he entered into a written contract to remove a structural wall in our house. We engaged a structural engineer and applied for Building Regs approval. Midway through the works, I noticed a big crack appearing above the RSJ (which Building Control had inspected and approved boxed-in!) The joiner and plasterer alerted me to the fact that the builder had just put rubble above the RSJ - there was no packing at all and consequently the wall above was falling onto the RSJ! If it had not been for them telling me my son's room above could have fallen down.

The builder had totally ignored the structural engineer's drawings and boxed the work in to deceive the inspector. It transpired that he had not welded the RSJ's together and had not packed them. He left the house unsupported and we now have long term structural damage. Another structural engineer assessed the work as "dangerous" and "incompetent" and the Council is intending to prosecute Shaun Lomax for dangerous building practices.

Trafford Council Building Control says it isn't at fault because they don't get many dodgy builders in affluent areas and therefore there level of checking is less (which I find astounding!) Despite not doing the job properly, the Council is hiding behind a 2012 case which says it cannot be held liable for building defects. Ratedpeople have washed their hands of the problem claiming it cannot be liable for dodgy builders.

So thanks to Shaun Lomax I have had to get the work done twice and I am £9000 out of pocket. He also didn't fit safety glass to a new bay window, so all of that will have to come out. In the end, a very decent builder came into help us out, but it has been so stressful and we wish we had never started.

This incompetent idiot gives other builders a bad name. It turns out he has no assets and no insurance. So if you ever come across Shaun Lomax of Warrington (building most recently in Altrincham and Hale, Greater Manchester) walk away as fast as you can!

I am happy to provide photographs and surveyors report to support this warning.

:mad:

I think that you will find that many "trade" registers act in a similar manner - the registers themselves exist purely to make money for their operators. If you think this case is bad, you should see how the electrical "Competent Person" Schemes operate. :mad: ( in reality, there is no requirement for the person entering your home to do electrical work to be competent or qualifed in ANY meaningful way, whatsoever).

Unfortunately, as a forum "newby" I am presently unable to post any links to information that other members may find useful or instructive.

Wildswimmer_Pete

partpnemesis wrote: »

If you think this case is bad, you should see how the electrical "Competent Person" Schemes operate. :mad: ( in reality, there is no requirement for the person entering your home to do electrical work to be competent or qualifed in ANY meaningful way, whatsoever).

Sorry, that's wrong. Electricians require Part "P" certification. If they don't have it, their work has to inspected by the local authority before the job is signed off. Not doing so could possibly annul premises insurance and should anyone be injured or, worse still, killed then the person concerned could possibly face manslaughter charges.

I'm an industrial electronics engineer and deemed to be a "Competent Person" for the purposes of the (far more strict) Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, yet even I can't legally do any domestic work.

hollydays

What brought 2 new users to this thread?

partpnemesis

Wildswimmer_Pete wrote: »

Sorry, that's wrong. Electricians require Part "P" certification. If they don't have it, their work has to inspected by the local authority before the job is signed off. Not doing so could possibly annul premises insurance and should anyone be injured or, worse still, killed then the person concerned could possibly face manslaughter charges.

I'm an industrial electronics engineer and deemed to be a "Competent Person" for the purposes of the (far more strict) Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, yet even I can't legally do any domestic work.

It appears that you know very little about the domestic sector and the way the electrical schemes operate!

The vast majority of "Registered Domestic Installers" are NOT trained and qualified electricians. Most have merely undergone a laughable "short course" providing them with minimal knowledge or ability. It us common for even those in charge to have no training or experience and to have passed only a one hour multiple choice examination on their ability to look things up in an index - like taking a spelling test with the aid of an open dictionary! :eek:

Interestingly, only "enterprises" (e.g. companies) are actually registered, providing the opportunity for them to send totally incompetent individuals to YOUR doorstep then - sign off said work unseen and unsupervised..... this all came out in front of a Parliamentary Select Committee earlier this year. It is called the QS system and it has got people killed.

The scam is - even though you may be PAYING for a trained and qualified electrician, you may well get an individual with less ability than the householder that is employing their services.

Ask your "Registered Electrician" what training and qualifications they (individually) possess - you may well be in for a big surprise.:mad:

partpnemesis

hollydays wrote: »

What brought 2 new users to this thread?

I have been closely involved with the construction industry for many years at local and national level and a practising electrician for over 30 years. The OP's original post attracted my attention because I have years of experience of observing how the public are sold an "illusion of competence" whilst quite often receiving abysmal service for what they pay.

Poppie68

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bod1467

Poppie68 wrote: »

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SPAM post has been deleted in the meantime?

You could have as easily deleted your post as edited it.

Poppie68

bod1467 wrote: »

SPAM post has been deleted in the meantime?

You could have as easily deleted your post as edited it.

Drat someone noticed...:rotfl:

Poppie68

Actually come to think of it the post didn't get deleted it got moved, and I was left hanging:D

Malmo

I've used the government licensed Trustmark scheme to find good tradespeople for various jobs in the past, so I recommend that as a first port of call in any search. I don't trust for-profit schemes like RatedPeople & TrustaTrader and would not touch them. There are interesting threads that discuss these schemes here and here.