Urgent advice please - surveyor problems

fusar

Hello,

At the end of April I instructed a structural building surveyor to survey a small commercial property I intended to buy. The chap came and did a thorough 2 hour examination and then a 10 minute summary on his findings with the promise of sending a full report within the next week. After fourteen days I hadn't received anything so I called and left a message on the voicemail of his head office. I never heard anything back.

The property then fell through, so I never followed it up, and never recevied a report. On saturday 18th August, I received an invoice off this company for £1075 (when I was quoted £900). I had never heard from them before now.

I have therefore just called the surveyor and said that the invoice is unacceptable as he didn't send the structural report - which he agreed that he hadn't done, but that it was written. I said that this was not acceptable, as the report is no good sitting in his office, after it was promised within a week of the survey.

He is now going to go and think of an acceptable solution and call me back. What do you think I should do/say? I am willing to pay for the two hour visit, although, saying that, it is useless without a report, as I don't know what he found from the visit - other than the 10 minute initial summary.

What would you guys do? Plus, how much is a surveyor per hour? Am I being too soft if I offer to pay for the two hour viist - as it is of no use to me without the report?

Please can someone help.....

silvercar

You are paying for a surveyors expertise, not just 2 hours work.

If I was the surveyor, I would send you the completed report to show that it had actually been written!

Look at it a different way. Say the initial findings showed the building was inadequate and the purchase not worth following. You may then tell the surveyor not to bother writing up a full report and expect the bill to be reduced by say £200?

You are in the same situation, having received a summary but not the report, so a similar reduction may be reasonable.

Your figures suggest the surveyor has charged you VAT, claim this back on your VAT if you are registered.

fusar

Many thanks for your reply Silvercar.

I agree that I would pay the surveyor for his expertise, but as the bulk of this expertise was supposed to arrive in the form of a structural report, which we never received then it is hard to pay for something that we have never seen. I am willing to pay for the 10 minute consultation, and I appreciate your suggestion of about £200. I will put that to him when he calls back.

When I called he was complaining about the time he had spent to write the report and secretary fees etc... but if I haven't received the report and it is of no use to me now, I don't think it is fair for him to charge this - after all it was his fault for not sending it to me. Does this sound unfair pf me?

Me_Myself_2

Don't pay him anything. 4 months far too long.

lynzpower

I woudnt pay him anything either.

its not the fact that the report was writen that you were paying for, you were paying for that report to be given to you to help you make a decision on a property. You would not have commissioned it otherwise, indeed you needed it within the week. that was the service you said you would pay for. that service has not been provided. therefore you should not pay it.

I would have a word with consumer direct under the sale of goods & services act you should have a good enough case/ defence. the service hasnt been provided. END OF.

fusar

Thanks ever so much for your replies. I might contact consumer direct, as I feel like he definitely didn't offer the service provided. When I called him he got quite irrate on the phone, so It has knocked my confidence slightly now, but I will stand my ground.

Thanks to all of you again.

pinkshoes

I certainly wouldn't pay him anything more than for his 2 hours of work!! I mean, if he spent SO much time and money writing up the survey, then why on earth didn't he send it?!?! He even had a reminder phonecall after 2 weeks, and he STILL didn't send it...

Why did the house fall through? Would having the survey report within 1 week as paid for make any difference to buying the house?!

i suspect by charging you, he's trying to cover up his mistake!

fusar

The property fell through because the owner was moving to Spain, but then something went wrong (not sure what) and they decided not to sell, so the property wasn't available anymore for that reason.

PasturesNew

Don't pay him a bean

His time is not what you paid for. You paid for a "report which you could hold in your hand, read and make a decision on"
This never came.

If you want to pay for men to visit you for 2 hours .... I could suggest a much more fun way of doing this

This man knows he didn't provide a service.

Tell him to sling his hook

PasturesNew

fusar wrote: »

The property fell through because the owner was moving to Spain, but then something went wrong (not sure what) and they decided not to sell, so the property wasn't available anymore for that reason.

This is irrelevant. You paid for a professional service, which you did not receive.

There is no bill to pay.

RabbitMad

fusar wrote: »

The property fell through because the owner was moving to Spain, but then something went wrong (not sure what) and they decided not to sell, so the property wasn't available anymore for that reason.

The sale fell through as the vendor's situation changed. You could argue that had the survey been provided on time the sale would most likely have proceeded as the situation that prevented the vendor from selling occured after the proposed date for exchange.;)

I personally wouldn't pay and would write back a letter stating that the delay was unacceptable.