Chargeback

veref

We recently commissioned a company to fit a log burner in our home and paid upfront for materials.  We chose the service provider as he said he could meet our deadlines of pre-30th September when our plasterers were due to start.  We were told it would take 5-10 days for his supplier to deliver the goods - it has now been circa 3 weeks.  When we tried to contact him, he was very defensive and then cut contact with us.  His website has now been removed and he is not communcating over the phone, but has sent a very vague text to my partner to say he will be in touch via email - nothing received so far.  We understand he has also done this to other customers.  We rang the bank to request chargeback and they said that as we had received some of the service (ie. the trader has installed a flue to the chimney) that we would have to go to trading standards.  TS's only recommendation was to follow the process of contacting the person (we have already started this process) and then take them to the small claims court if this was unsuccessful.  This we think may take quite a while and in the meantime this person has our money and could actually stop trading, with no chance of recovering our money.  Is there any advice you can offer to recoup our money?  The bank is First Direct - should they be more amenable to chargeback? And should we push this?  Thanks.