Bad experience with decking company and advice needed

Hi All,

Hope this is the right place and sorry if i waffle but really need some advice

About 3 months ago we found a company on a facebook group to do some decking work. They had good reviews and were recommended by various people

Work commenced, work completed, people paid.

We then started finding issues that we asked them to sort;
The steps on the decking were slowly moving more and more (to the point a relative rolled their ankle going down them).
Rainwater was pooling in one area when we were assured it would drain off one end
Certain boards were taking days to dry
After a month the owner finally came out and admitted the steps were terrible and should never have been done that way. he ripped them out and put batons directly into the wall read for boards to be put back in. He told us they would be flush and even.

2 days later (couldnt use the garden as steps werent there) the worked came out again and made a meal of it once more, left gaps in some steps, and none in others. Some steps had an uneven gap, and he simply put a piece of wood sideways to cover up a particularly wide gap. The last step down was also a particularly big drop (and i have infant children). He also said he'd fixed the uneven decking (a stone apparently causing the problem), but a day of rainfall proved not to be the case.

The owner once again stated that it would be sorted, and the worked came out to put the bottom step in and to try to fix the uneven decking once more (he used a spadfe to rip out the boards to look under then screwed them back in...im pretty sure he's mangled some boards using this technique)

A few days later i was walking down the steps after a day of rain and the entire bottom step slid out from under me. It seemed it wasn't attached at all, and the uneven decking was still pooling water.

Cue us speaking to the owner again who said "its getting beyond a joke" and assured us it would be fixed. This was on 28th July..and we still havent had it sorted.

What should I do? Should i tell them to fix it and keep at them? Or get them to stop work and have someone else come in and fix it? Would i have any legal right to charge them for the work to fix it from another company?

We're really stressing about this and its been 3 months..we just want it finished but dont want to be left with unsafe decking.

Comments

  • Alias_Omega
    Alias_Omega Posts: 7,912
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    I assume you have a formal quote for the work, ideally on headed paper listing what was to be done.

    If so, i would write (yes write) to them asking them to rectify the work....if they do not, you shall have someone else complete the work, then claim is back through the small claims court (moneyclaimonline). In short, it a "letter before action". Id aim to keep things peaceful beforehand though, as once you start the LBA process, things get very hard...and you probably find the company has not money anyhow.. #handtomouth.


    I see dodgy Facebook trader posts all the time. Years ago, they were kinda vetted and you needed to pay to advertise. Now its totally free....and all kind of scammer come out of the woodwork.
  • rborob
    rborob Posts: 33
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    I assume you have a formal quote for the work, ideally on headed paper listing what was to be done.

    If so, i would write (yes write) to them asking them to rectify the work....if they do not, you shall have someone else complete the work, then claim is back through the small claims court (moneyclaimonline). In short, it a "letter before action". Id aim to keep things peaceful beforehand though, as once you start the LBA process, things get very hard...and you probably find the company has not money anyhow.. #handtomouth.


    I see dodgy Facebook trader posts all the time. Years ago, they were kinda vetted and you needed to pay to advertise. Now its totally free....and all kind of scammer come out of the woodwork.

    Hi, thanks for responding. I don't have a letter unfortunately, just a lengthy dialog on facebook through chat, though i was very particular in my questions and making sure everything was included.

    Would, this matter? as even if i had a letterheaded quote it wouldn't have things like "a perfectly level deck" or "steps that don't move when stood on"

    Where do i stand without this?
  • Doozergirl
    Doozergirl Posts: 33,780
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    I don't see why the conversation isn't evidence of a contract. It works for Judge Rinder :o

    Do you have the full contact details to write to them, though?
    Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
  • rborob
    rborob Posts: 33
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    Doozergirl wrote: »
    I don't see why the conversation isn't evidence of a contract. It works for Judge Rinder :o

    Do you have the full contact details to write to them, though?

    Yes they have a business address i can write to
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