Conservatory / home improvement

jatjat

So I am interested to find out where I stand in respect of a conservatory I have agreed to have built. It was just perfect, as it is. Then the sales man appeared as the surveyor. Alarm bells should have rung. We agreed the price and he presented a contract which we sadly did not read in full. We were not given a copy… more alarm 🔔. Now I am convinced we have been scammed. All the signs are there. We paid the deposit by credit card… hopefully 🙏 we will get our money back. I have sent an email to cancel the contract and it is within 14 days… is that enough. Made a couple of phone calls but can only leave a message ☹️. Contacted the credit card company and told them. We all think it will not happen to us and we try to be careful. Is there any advice ? 

Alderbank

You bought a conservatory and agreed the sale less than 14 days ago, paid deposit by credit card, changed your mind and sent an email to cancel?

• Did you agree the sale at home or somewhere else?
• Is the price less than £30,000?
• Why should alarm bells have rung?
• What does 'Then the sales appeared as the surveyor' mean?

• Why are you convinced you have been scammed?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

If it was  an off premises contract (you agreed the price at your home rather than after the sales person left) then you have the right to cancel and if less than £30k you'll be covered by the credit card company as they have the same legal liability as the trader.

I wouldn't focus on being scammed, merely on whether or not the conservatory company honour the cancellation.

If you agreed the sale another way let us know as it may affect the right to cancel.  

jatjat

The sales man came back and said he was doing the job of the surveyor. 🤔
The sale was done at our house…. 

He did not give us a copy of the contract 
Many thanks for the responses , they really are helpful 😁

Aylesbury_Duck

I don't understand why the salesman being the surveyor is such a concern and what alarm bells you are hearing.  At the end of the day, if you suspect there might be some sort of vested interest at play, why would it be any different if his colleague was the surveyor, instead?  

If you want a genuinely independent surveyor, I'm sure you could find one to contract with.

Are you sure you don't just have buyer's remorse and are looking for a way out?  It doesn't appear that you need it, because it seems you are entitled to cancel, anyway.

TELLIT01

With a small company it's not unusual for the same person to fulfil numerous roles.  When we had our conservatory roof replaced, it was the owner of the business we dealt with all the way through.

GrumpyDil

OP, as others have indicated yout right to cancel will depend upon where and when the contract was signed, as well as taking account of any cancellation rights in the contract.

Without answering the specific questions that were asked earlier no one can offer any meaningful suggestions/comments about the situation.

jatjat

The contract, which we don’t have a copy of was signed in the back garden. So we don’t have any idea about cancellation. I have sent an email saying we would like to cancel as we are within our 14 day cooling off period. Not convinced we will hear from them again.

jatjat

We are now waiting for the company to reimburse us the deposit, but I am not holding out much hope. The next step will be a section 75. The receipt we received was in the company name but the charge on the credit card is in another name. The amount is an obvious connection but I am just wondering if this will be an issue with th credit card company. Any helpful comments would be appreciated 

user1977

What do you mean by "another name"? Companies often go under a different trading name from their legal one.

jatjat

Ok thanks. I just wondered if this would be an issue with a section 75