Builder Disappeared

rob_o44

Hi

Looking for some advice on where to take this next:

We're looking for some paving works to be done in our garden, one of the guys who came out to look emailed us across a full quote, cost breakdown, start date

After we had a few other quotes we decided to go ahead with this particularly guy and ended up paying some money up front for slabs/materials and skip

He made an excuse for not starting on the previously agreed date and we arranged a later date. This has since been and gone without him turning up. We can no longer get hold of him on the phone (have spent over a week trying to call at various times), by email or via his facebook page - everything is going unread

We paid him by bank transfer so there is a record of the money going to him. I've got his original email with quote and his home address

Should we be contacting the police to report this?

Thanks

Hoenir

Have you been round to his house? 

Lomast

This is not a police matter, you need to send him a letter before action and if you do not get any response then you will need to start a claim through the County court.

user1977

rob_o44 said:

Should we be contacting the police to report this?

Why, what crime do you think has been committed?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Assuming you haven’t received the slabs or materials OP? 

Aylesbury_Duck

rob_o44 said:

Hi

Looking for some advice on where to take this next:

We're looking for some paving works to be done in our garden, one of the guys who came out to look emailed us across a full quote, cost breakdown, start date

After we had a few other quotes we decided to go ahead with this particularly guy and ended up paying some money up front for slabs/materials and skip

He made an excuse for not starting on the previously agreed date and we arranged a later date. This has since been and gone without him turning up. We can no longer get hold of him on the phone (have spent over a week trying to call at various times), by email or via his facebook page - everything is going unread

We paid him by bank transfer so there is a record of the money going to him. I've got his original email with quote and his home address

Should we be contacting the police to report this?

Thanks

Have these been delivered?  If so, you haven't lost anything and you can begin searching for another contractor to do the job.

If you don't have what you've paid for, you need to check that the address you've been given is actually his and whether it's the address of the business you've paid.  You can then threaten legal action.

It's possible something entirely genuine and unfortunate has happened.  I'd start by calling in to his address to check he's ok - at least that will tell you if it's his actual address.

mta999

If the builder failed ie his business failed than it is not a crime

However if you took your money knowing in advance that he was going to not do anything but just do a runner then that is a criminal offence

You should notify the police in case a  pattern emerges

Ectophile

But if you contact the police, they will tell you to go to Action Fraud.

But Action Fraud do not take action on fraud.  Their purpose is to stop the public pestering the police with fraud reports.

pinkshoes

rob_o44 said:

Hi

Looking for some advice on where to take this next:

We're looking for some paving works to be done in our garden, one of the guys who came out to look emailed us across a full quote, cost breakdown, start date

After we had a few other quotes we decided to go ahead with this particularly guy and ended up paying some money up front for slabs/materials and skip

He made an excuse for not starting on the previously agreed date and we arranged a later date. This has since been and gone without him turning up. We can no longer get hold of him on the phone (have spent over a week trying to call at various times), by email or via his facebook page - everything is going unread

We paid him by bank transfer so there is a record of the money going to him. I've got his original email with quote and his home address

Should we be contacting the police to report this?

Thanks

Well the first thing you need to do is verify that he actually lives at that address. Do some googling, or knock on the door.

If he DOES live there, then ask him when he is going to start. 

If he doesn't live there, then uh oh! You might have been scammed. How did you find this guy? Was it a recommendation of someone you personally knew who had used him? Or just online reviews (that could be fake)?.

RAS

Also contact Trading Standards. They will not do anything with one report, but if there's a pattern of prior payments and failure to deliver goods and services, they can and sometimes do act.

sheramber

Does your council take an interest in scam builders?

Some do.