Plumber Issues

eskbanker

Habib2342 said:

I've sent him the following message:

Just to let you know I'm going to wait until Thursday lunchtime for a refund. If you are going to keep the materials you've bought, then please refund the full amount. Alternatively I can collect the materials from you and you can just refund the labour charges. I don't really want to escalate this and am sure both of us don't want to waste any more time on this matter further but I will seek legal redress if a suitable refund is not made by 12pm on the 21st August 2025. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Can't say any firmer or fairer that that i think..

Although you haven't used the term, that's effectively a Letter Before Action (did CAB advise on this wording?), so if no refund appears by the deadline, it would be prudent to have researched what's involved in making a claim via MCOL, etc.

Habib2342

no but they did give some pointerss about what to include in a letter to be sent by recorded delivery if nothing shows up by 12 pm on 21/8/25 . I've drafted one below 

I am writing to you in reference to the afore mentioned works which were cancelled by myself on Wednesday 13th August 2025. Payment was made in full upfront for 1209.20 in 3 separate payments of 557, 220 and 432.20 between 8th and 10th August 2025 for the below works and I am requesting the refund of either the total or partial amount.

<description of works>

If you are going to keep the materials you've bought, then please refund the full amount. Alternatively I can collect the materials from you and you can just refund the labour charges.

If you do not agree to the above, I suggest we can use the alternative dispute resolution scheme https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/law-and-courts/legal-system-s/settling-out-of-court/using-alternative-dispute-resolution-to-solve-a-problem-s/ to settle this matter. This will be quicker and cheaper then going through the court system. 

Please respond within 7 days of receiving this letter otherwise I will have to escalate the matter further.

Kind Regards,

born_again

Habib2342 said:

no but they did give some pointerss about what to include in a letter to be sent by recorded delivery if nothing shows up by 12 pm on 21/8/25 . I've drafted one below 

I am writing to you in reference to the afore mentioned works which were cancelled by myself on Wednesday 13th August 2025. Payment was made in full upfront for 1209.20 in 3 separate payments of 557, 220 and 432.20 between 8th and 10th August 2025 for the below works and I am requesting the refund of either the total or partial amount.

<description of works>

If you are going to keep the materials you've bought, then please refund the full amount. Alternatively I can collect the materials from you and you can just refund the labour charges.

If you do not agree to the above, I suggest we can use the alternative dispute resolution scheme https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/law-and-courts/legal-system-s/settling-out-of-court/using-alternative-dispute-resolution-to-solve-a-problem-s/ to settle this matter. This will be quicker and cheaper then going through the court system. 

Please respond within 7 days of receiving this letter otherwise I will have to escalate the matter further.

Kind Regards,

Don't waste your money on expensive postage, which they could refuse delivery of.
Just go to post office & get proof of posting. That is all you need.

Habib2342

Ok so no refund materialised by today's deadline.

I've sent off the first formal letter and got the proof of posting. Given him 7 days to either pay or respond. CAB said the next step is to send the actual LBA letter if no response by this time next week. Then after that its court action. 

From my end, I've kept details of 

1.invoice detailing proposed works
2. Exported whats app chat with plumber about the work and the request for a refund . ( He's set his whats app chat to disappear after 90 days ) but I expect the chat will disappear way before then. 
3. Proof of Posting.

Anything else I can do or look into as matters progress ?

thanks. 

DE_612183

no, it's a case of biding your time and taking each step correctly

Habib2342

Ok well I sent across the 2nd and final letter before action the week before last, requesting a full refund or a full refund less deduction for time spent on the job or a small claims would be filed. CAB said I had to give him a further two weeks to respond. That finishes this coming Thursday( 11th September 2025).

I sent the letter by recorded delivery and the royal mail website shows him signing for receipt. So he has not grounds to say he wasn't made aware. 

I've been more than fair with him, giving him ample opportunity to refund and stated I would accept a partial refund in light of his efforts sourcing some of the parts for the job. It looks like I will have to submit a small claims against him this thursday, claiming the full amount, interest and other fees. If he is prepared to let matters get to the stage where high court enforcement officers will forcefully recover the debt by visiting his premises so be it. 

If he kicks off or gets violent with me, I will defend myself or get the police around. Will give CAB a final call on Thursday before I submit the claim. 

Brouts

As a plumber myself, I would be very careful with anyone asking for upfront payments.  It's usually unnecessary, to ask for this as most plumbers have trade accounts, which means they don't have to pay for their materials until 30-60 days down the line.  If they don't have a trade account, I probably wouldn't trust them anyway, as it could mean they can't get one (due to poor credit history).  Obviously this isn't the case for all, but it's a good indicator.

We charge people as soon as the work is completed and the customer is happy.  We then obviously expect payment to be made as soon as possible and this works both ways, sometimes we end up chasing payments from customers so we end up out of pocket.  

I personally would advise not to use a plumber who asks for all the money up front, as even if they're genuine, it can mean they get complacent in getting the job done, as they have already been paid for it.  I would ask for a refund and get someone else to do it.