Absolutely FUMING at my local council - UNBELIEVABLY bad treatment

KittyKate

Emmzi wrote: »

It's horrible. hugs.

Our local council rehouse you temporarily for that kind of work.

Is there any way he could stay with you or friends for a week until it's sorted? Surely it isnt his job to supervise the builders?

Thanks - there is no one he can stay with as his friends are his neighbours and they are all pretty much in the same boat (and all 1bed). I would happily put him in a hotel but he feels he can't leave the builders and I'm not suprised - this morning he rang me to say they had turned up to knock out the WRONG WALL. Literally, an outer wall, he had to bring them into the house to show them the inner wall they were supposed to knock out!! They went to get 'the right tools' and haven't been near since (that was 9.05am!)

He's also worried if he is out of the house they will fail to do things/bodge things. My uncle who is a few years older than my dad is on the final stages of the refurb and has had his electrics wired wrong -three times-, missing tiles in the bathroom, live electrical cables sticking out next to the loo seat, damaged windowsills, no hot water...the list is endless. They even left a huge blob of concrete smeared down a wall. My 68 year old aunt was told 'oh just buy some sandpaper'.

5 days eating microwaved food on the floor and cold sarnies is NOT right. He can't even make beans on toast - the toaster 'mysteriously' broke (I'm having a new one sent to him).

It's stressing me out just hearing what he's going through - I almost cried when I heard the builders have trampled all over his garden and ruined all his flowers which he recently sent away for. Of course he will claim if they are killed outright and won't come back but why can't they have some bloody respect. He worked 40 years down the pit, hard labour, yet he still had a good heart and morals. It makes me sick these bits of kids can take a sledgehammer to his home and leave him like this.

KittyKate

asea wrote: »

have you actually tried the MP though? Your OP doesn't state whether you have or not, you just said that he (or she!) couldn't give a toss!

Repeatedly! He is rather hard to get hold of, and lies through his teeth when you do reach him - a lot of 'I swear on this' and 'I promise on my heart' but he must swear and promise a helluva lot because nothing ever gets done.

katiekittykat

I would ring the council again and complain - when they say they are too busy tell them you are taking it to the local press!

KittyKate

katiekittykat wrote: »

I would ring the council again and complain - when they say they are too busy tell them you are taking it to the local press!

Oh, they don't care! They even say 'fine, whatever' when you say you will be making a complaint. At the end of the day they just lie/promise their way out of the conversation then hang up.

Update: my dad's cooker was fitted - he bought a brand new, tested, working one at a high cost, the fitter slammed it into the wall so hard when moving it into place, he broke it and the rings don't work :mad: even though it was tested the council say it 'must have been broken when it was delivered' and refuse to help. My dad spent £5 on the phone to the manufacturer who can't repair it till Aug 13! (but he is semi-OK at the moment as at least he can have pies, pizzas etc). I am absolutely fuming at this news, I knew how much he was looking forward to his gorgeous new cooker and it's now been broken (they were upending it and slamming it into concrete to move it rather than just moving it side to side to shimmy it in).

They turned up and knocked out the wall (the right one, after my dad had to show them his copy of the plans), then removed the shower (??) it took all of an hour then they left and said 'back on friday probably'. If they don't show (probable) he will be without a shower, kitchen or any heating and though the weather is OK here in Yorkshire today he has arthritis and the flu and it's just not acceptable. My dad has just had to go to the chemist, another £5 on flu medication because the house is freezing, and he can't get a doc appt for a week (and can't leave the incompetent builders alone, even if they do turn up).

I know he is getting a 'free' refurb. But honestly he would not have taken it if he'd known how much hurt it would cause - and there are 5 weeks to go. Not that it was optional - hilariously the refits are giving the residents a 'better standard of living!' bare electrics, no heat, shower or cooker!

Sooler

Who is the MP?

advent1122

I dont think the Military Police will get involved.

stamford

Complain to the Local Government Ombudsman that gets Councils rattled and there is a chance of getting some form of "compensation". I did it a few years back for an elderly lady who had her garage repeatedly flooded due to sloppy drainage work/failure to pump out gulleys by the local borough council.

They had to rectify matters and she got c £1300 which more than paid for a small low wall to further protect her property in the event on any further rain storms - it even did the trick last Friday

http://www.lgo.org.uk/

alwaysonthego_2

advent1122 wrote: »

I dont think the Military Police will get involved.

I think she meant Member of Parliment

alant1000

how awful, sounds like typical council red tape mixed with old school snotty council pen pushers :mad: .

If it helps you can PM me as for my line of work i actually provide services for and speak with the top level execs at local and county council (in my case IT but they spend a hell of a lot of money with us :eek: ), and have a directory at work called the Binleys Guide which has the names and phone numbers of all the directors and unit managers of every council in the uk.. the chief housing officer in your council should be there so i'd get in touch personally (tell his PA its a personal call). Tell him you are going to the local press unless he gets his house in order.

its worth a punt.

iwanttosave_2

Sounds like they are treating him better than they did us. I did a thread on here, let me find it.