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Reporting An Unreliable Tradesman

By: Tracy Whitelaw - Updated: 25 May 2019 | comments*Discuss
 
Reporting An Unreliable Tradesman

It can be financially and emotional crippling when you realise that your hard-earned cash has been wasted on a rogue tradesman. As the number of 'have-a-go' tradesmen continue to rise in the UK, there are a number of reliable firms popping up that offer advice and help on choosing a reputable tradesman when you need work conducted on your home. If you're unfortunate enough to be one of the people who do end up involved with a rogue trader though, you need to know where to report your grievances in order to ensure nobody else is conned by them.

Talk to the Tradesman First

If things go wrong when you're having work carried out by a tradesman, the first step to try and resolve any issues is to speak to the tradesman. Always give them the chance to put it right and make any complaints known to them initially. Many tradesmen will take this opportunity to try and rectify the situation, as they won't want their reputation being harmed. If you feel that the tradesman isn't listening to your concerns, put them down in writing and give him a deadline. Send the complaint letter to the tradesman's head office, assuming there is one, but remember to always keep a copy of what you sent and when. If you find that there's no resolution through this means, the next step is to report your tradesman.

Citizen's Advice Bureau and Trading Standards

One of the most common places to report an unreliable tradesman is at your local Citizen's Advice Bureau. They will be able to give you advice on your legal status with regards to the work and also whether you may be able to make a claim against your tradesman. They may also be able to offer you some kind of conflict resolution or mediation, so they're definitely worth visiting and can give you advice for free on most occasions. Another possibility is to report your tradesman to Trading Standards. Trading Standards are specifically interested in protecting the rights of consumers against businesses and in ensuring that businesses are within the law and delivering what they promise. You can contact your local branch of Trading Standards and they will give you advice on the next step regarding your unreliable tradesman. They can often provide you with contact details for trade associations or advise on what the best course of action is for you to resolve your dispute with your tradesman. They may even investigate it themselves and keep you updated on the situation.

Reporting to a Trade Association

If your unreliable tradesman is part of a trade association, then you should be covered by their code of conduct. If speaking directly to the tradesman doesn't work, contact their governing body and ask for advice. They will want to uphold the standards of their association so will be keen to investigate anyone they believe to be unreliable. Normally, a trade association will speak to the tradesman on your behalf as well as offer you some kind of arbitration service to try and come to a resolution. They can also get the tradesman back to work if they've left the job unexpectedly. This is one of the reasons that it's important to check your tradesman's credentials before agreeing to any work being carried out - if your tradesman doesn't have a trade association backing him, you're putting yourself in financial danger.

Online Sources and Unreliable Tradesmen

Another option when it comes to reporting unreliable tradesmen is to use the multitude of online resources to warn others about their poor service. Websites such as TradeCheck or associations like TrustMark welcome information about poor tradesmen as they will make sure they spread this knowledge so others can avoid them. A new service from search engine AskAlex has also been introduced where individuals can run an immediate check on businesses to ensure they're reputable. The service is set up in conjunction with Dun & Bradstreet and will cost a mere 7.50GBP to obtain. It will give consumers a star rating for a business, full contact details, any criminal history, profit figures and an overall judgement of the business. This method should be used to avoid rogue tradesman initially, but can also help in your reporting of any unreliable tradesmen. If you do suffer problems with your tradesman, make sure you report them as early as possible - helping other avoid them can at least give you some peace of mind.

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Richard Bradshaw has a CCJ against his name, owes us £4,631 for a large refurbishment job he took on between Dec 18-Mar 19. Told us it would be completed in 3 weeks, totally unreliable, constantly disappeared for hours on end, brought his young girls on the job, friends and family would come visiting at any time of the day. Electrical sockets and kitchen left incomplete for weeks on end. Used excuse that he was having treatment for cancer, that his kids were unwell when in reality he was hungover on the days he should be working. Work is shocking, left holes in kitchen cupboards, plumbing next to electrical sockets, unfinished tiling, rubbish plastering. Took money for materials that never arrived on site. When looking back through receipts we had been charged for tools for his business. I could go on. Do not use him.
Shabina - 25-May-19 @ 11:41 AM
We are still reeling and undoing the mistakes made by this builder. Very manipulative. Very nice bloke (when he wants money) but no project management whatsoever, never took responsibility for mistakes. Aggressive responses, no client management whatsoever. Is very good at manipulating and very threatening. Finishing is just awful. Always promised to oversee and ensure everything was ok but we were left to having to redo a lot of the finishes as it was just awful. This builder and the others working with him are moonlighting off F A Lane and Sons. Stav Christou, London. Works with Space120 (Jennifer Huckerby) and was recommended by them. Please note that Space120 were later investigated by the ARB and found guilty breaching the regulations. This architect has failed to acknowledge it's own mistakes - they are cheap for a reason.
123EastLondon - 23-May-19 @ 9:58 AM
Guy called Adivalter Sfalsin - in some instances Adivalter de Assis - in case he changes his company name; says he can install a kitchen, gets put in touch with appliance manufacturer and even taken to their showroom and introduced to advisers there to ensure he has everything he needs as far as knowledge of how to mount them and access to instructions. Then starts the job with “be assured, we will do a great job for you” and then can’t be bothered to follow manufacturers’ guidelines for installing a very expensive hob that subsequently breaks causing damage costing £800 to repair (see picture with chips of glass next to left front corner of hob, left unprotected by his substandard installation) as a result of not being mounted flush as per design and instructions. Never cleared it with either client (me) or Miele. I queried whether it was done right with one of his workers on the day I first saw it, as it was not how I remembered it when I took him to see appliances at the showroom and I felt a little disappointed as I’d pictured it flush - the worker said “yes” and I trusted him. Then Miele confirm months later after problems that he didn’t do it as per design or instructions. However refuses to redo the installation, which Miele have since described in writing as “definitely not recommended” for the model. His response is “to me the case is closed” because it took me several months to lose my initial trust in him and get Miele over to establish first-hand how badly he’d done the job. Do not trust, do not use. Trading standards ref: 15494063, ongoing and escalating dispute which really shouldn’t need to take place, but which I will happily keep potential clients of his updated on here. PS he’s also the author of the classic quote: “you should have told me you wanted an Ethernet cable WITH TIPS” (after he took my money to run an Ethernet cable under my floor so that I could link up my home network across two rooms) - 7 months after the end of the job he’s still not managed to tip it and clearly is unwilling to pay someone competent to, so the wire’s completely useless.
Mat - 14-May-19 @ 7:35 PM
I was recommended a gardener on local mums Facebook group. He came to give me quote, all seemed well. I need only 3 panels fitted. He send an invoice and I paid for materials only. Via bank transfer. On the day he was supposed to come he texted he has van problems, then 3 days later he said he bought a new van and will come tomorrow. Tomorrow he said he will not come because of strong winds, the day ended up being sunny with light breeze, it was May. I made a complaint on a fb page where he was recommended, he then said I am slandering him. Then he promised he will pay me back though he has bought the materials. Then he said he will infact return the materials to me. One week later, no money no materials. He is still responding to my message saying he is very busy. His name is Connor Stevens of CJ building and gardening service Carshalton.
Ellie - 12-May-19 @ 6:31 AM
Avoid Marcus Wright of Skye Conversions, based in Tamworth. He claims he can do lots of jobs and is a Plummer, but what he also does is steal hundreds of pounds off pensioners, well he did me. Every word out of his mouth is a lie.
Ada - 7-May-19 @ 1:48 PM
I would like to clarify something I run Somerset flat roofing I changed name following a split with my family I always try to provide a good service if things have not been or gone right I’d gladly put right in fact contrary to remarks on here I can provide references and gladly let any future customer see work I have done Obviously you can’t please everybody
Somerset - 6-May-19 @ 10:59 AM
Avoid any company run by ADAM FRY in Somerset or the surrounding areas. This man is a liar, a thief and a cowboy. He did a poor job on my flat roof that wasn’t flat or watertight from Day 1, then denied ever being at my house and wanted to sue me for leaving bad reviews. He deletes all negative feedback and makes threats to harm people for questioning him.He currently trades under AVALON FLAT ROOFING, ALL COUNTIES FLAT ROOFING, SOMERSET FLAT ROOFING, SOMERSET FLAT ROOFING EXPERTS & SOMERSET FLAT ROOFING SW - but regularly changes company name to avoid being sued. Currently listed in Wells (BA5) but is also trying his luck in Taunton, Wellington and Frome. Please beware, I’m thousands of pounds out of pocket because of this man. Take the time to google the above company names & see for yourself.
NobodysFool - 30-Apr-19 @ 6:17 PM
This guy was doing a roof a couple of doors down from us, He came knocking at our door asking if we wanted our roof refelting/rebattening and using existing tiles he said £1500 (thought this seemed a good price) BUT When i went to see the chapI asked about his public liability insurance. He tried to tell me he wason Check a trade but could not show me any paperwork He was in a crappy white transit van (when checked reg plate I found it was untaxed) I could find no company with the name he claimed to be on companies house website He produced an insurance certificate which looked dodgy as there was no VAT registration number on the bottom I had seen enough and was not going to use this man as I was suspicious. the next day he started put a load of materials in my driveway I went and told him I was not getting the work done he started accusing me of saying I had told him to proceed which I had not done so. after a lengthy argument I just turned my back on him and shut the door he
not a mug - 26-Mar-19 @ 10:09 PM
Hi I Hired a builder to build our rear extension we had planning permission for this we took 3quotes of different builders checked various details of the builders , found one the builder very friendly and accommodating to what we want to do so we hired him he goes by the name o'hanlon Bespoke Homes LTD, and o'hanlon driveway's and conservatories so they started working on the extension dugout foundations all good then started to erect the walls but before they started the walls I did say I need to talk to you about this he ignores me and carry on but when I got back from work lucky enough he was thier I spoke to him about this that this is wrong he said I given more room at the front , before even he had started working he's said he will do the paperwork as in getting a parting wall agreement this wasn't done now I've got bigger Walk way to the side of the property anyway we told before they started working we are going away for 2 weeks these 2 weeks went by the builder didn't come back to finish with this in between the building work he was very persistent about the money as we were supposed to pay on the drip bases and now he's taken our money and done a runner trying to contact him he won't answer any of my emails and messages this cowboy builder is Sam o'hanlon Bespoke Homes LTD and o'hanlon driveway's and conservatories please don't hire him if you see him report him he's rouge trader.
Nav Bhurji pop - 15-Mar-19 @ 11:03 AM
Employed Williams Construction of Ramsgate to refurbish a two bed flat for my 80 year old mother. Provided detailed plans of the required works and stuck to them. Paid a premium for extra hours and man power to get the job done in three and half weeks, which Robert Burgess the owner promised would be done. Despite his constant promises it took nearly two months, with delays due to a series of mistakes made by his men and the fact he was hardly ever on site to quality control the work. They constantly complained and tried to cut corners to the agreed works. Then ended up botching the wetroom resulting in further time and money having to be spent on trying to correct and repair the amateurish tiling, poor carpentry and installation of the wetroom fittings, which they damaged. Despite walking off the build without finishing the work to a good and proper standard Mr Burgess has since used without my permission photos of the flat on his website. Avoid these bunch of cowboys at all costs.
Richard L - 12-Mar-19 @ 10:05 PM
Last summer we had roofer in to fix a leak after heavy rainfall and windy weather. All was O.K. until the recent months of heavy rainfall. We called a different Roofer in who had been from an approved list of Traders supplied by Age Concern. He took photos of what he found and where the water had been coming in. He fixed this, but said that not only had the previous trader failed to fix the leak, he just placed some sort of covering around the base of the chimney, which not only was not necessary, but last year he had charged us over £400 for a job that should have only cost £20 maximum.Me and my husband have been totally ripped off by this rogue trader. We have photographic proof and also the findings of the 2nd (honest and trustworthy) Trader. Ideally this rip off merchant should be taken to the cleaners, like he took us. Please help us here. We are senior citizens in our 70s and people like him think they can rip seniors off. I have written to the Trader, but quite frankly I don't hold out much hope of him replying and us getting refunded all - if not - some of the money he took from us. Trader name is A. Rogers & Sons Roofing Ltd, based in Hawkhurst, also in Hastings and Eastbourne. tel 01323 888518
Mrs Meldrew - 12-Mar-19 @ 3:57 PM
Had work carried out by ABN paving and building ltd. work was atrocious standard of work was abismal, left the place like a building site, never cleaned up at the end of the job. All work carried out by this company breached the building regulations, complaints made to the company but they did not want to know, avoid at all costs
Drunky - 10-Mar-19 @ 4:30 PM
Brian Hardman, Plumber and Gas Engineer of Northampton area etc. Conman he took my money and didn't come back to finish job. He did bad plumbing work on my bathroom, I've had 7 leaks which I have to get sorted by other plumbers due to his bad work. He even fitting bathroom taps with the plastic on at the bottom. I really need to report this guy, he shouldn't be trading. He also refused to give me a reciept. 5 months of waiting and inconvenience.
Chanel - 7-Mar-19 @ 9:46 PM
SD tiler Steve Please avoid him at all cost. Very sloppy work and his charges are extortionate.
Suzzy - 2-Mar-19 @ 10:57 AM
Buyers be ware of Chris Clayton currently Shakespeare stone. He lays resin drives. Our resin drive cost us thirty two thousand pounds and after a month we were experiencing puddles of water which we were assured would not happen. Within two months the drive got churned up by a lorry making a delivery. It revealed that the resin had not been laid to the agreed thickness. He will not honour the guarantee and repair the damage despite him saying he was not dodging us. Please warn your friends so you do have to experience what we have.
Karen - 6-Feb-19 @ 6:13 PM
Taylor&Budnicki are a new multi trade company, however the front man Jacob Budnicki isn't in fact qualified as a plumber or anything else. I was hired to as a bricklayer on the job qualified to level 3 diploma. I worked my weekend to complete the job and was to attend 2 evenings to tie the job up. Mr Taylor the qualified carpenter on the job decided to finish my work. As a result Mr Budnicki is refusing to pay me and complaining I supported the client with regards to the job being finished to a high standard. Currently Mr Jacob Budnicki is advertising on Facebook floor laying tiling plumbing jobs that they are not legal to provide. Please steer clear.
Jt - 23-Jan-19 @ 7:34 PM
Warning for consumers seeking Building Services in Wiltshire / Somerset / BANES.Trowbridge based building company J K Builders & Plant Hire Ltd - avoid at all costs.These are rogue traders / cowboy builders.Previously gone insolvent and changed name from Young's Builders & Developments Ltd.They produce awful quality of work, steal materials and money from the job and disappear when challenged.Unfortunately another horror story of builder taking £80,000 with the when closed up the business only to open a new one the next week.Jamie Young is the boss who lives at 4 Greenway Gardens, Trowbridge, Wiltshire.
TomStack - 14-Jan-19 @ 6:31 PM
These bunch of Polish thugs did not finishing the job but insisted that I pay the full invoice. When I refused, they threatened to beat me up. They said they can easily return to Poland and the British Police can't do anything about it. Company: InteriorWise Ltd (Company no: 11033843). The main thug there is: Kamil Zajkowski.
David Bumble - 27-Dec-18 @ 8:52 PM
Used Bharti Enterprise Ltd to do my extension the main guy called Dhanji didn't do a good job I got bathroom tiles,which are sticking out nearly 8mm not lined up properly, there is damp in almost all the walls because he didn't use damp proof procedure that he was suppose to use, damp proofing will cost nearly £5000 now and have to take off all the plaster. Finishing on all the job is rubbish and plumbing work done by his plumber named Arvin is rubbish as my underfloor heating doesn't work properly either. I would not recommend this builder and his plasterer or plumber as they are all cowboys
Pinkpanther - 8-Dec-18 @ 5:16 PM
If you are in Nuneaton area, beware if you come accross Richard Bradshaw. I used him as I thought that the plasterer (very reliable) who took him with him knew him from previous jobs, but it was not the case. Unfortunately it quickly turned out that he is unreliable - doing little everyday, disappearing regularly, doing half jobs. The other issue is that he "ordered" French doors and a window, asked for the money to pay for them (which I gave him) and has found all sorts of excuses for not having them collected and installed. Same issues with material to replace a waste pipe.
Oli - 24-Nov-18 @ 2:32 PM
Well In was Employed by a Company owned whom turned to be Fake. No REGISTERD company Not even UTR nr No Vat, no Tax , but a webpage claiming he can Build homes etc.. where I was told that he only canspray paint. funny thing is Even that He wasn't any Good. As Manager and face of the Company, I felt responsible to provide the best service and had to tell the owner he is not allow to paint. as I didn't trust his work. than The more jobs we got involved with the more I got to see, Well I have reported this to Trading standards. and Called these costumers and Feel really bad as the face of the Company. But even the best of us can be fooled. Thanks to me Getting a huge job" A hotel renovation and them asking for all paperwork, I than was put to demand the documents fro. the owner. and got suspisiouse when the owner mad a comment " sure you can have the documents but I thing the Company is not ready for a big job like that." I than knew that some thing is wrong and made inquiries and found out No UTR No registration on any company, nor Tax Nor Vat. and What pissed me off was NOT EVEN A LIABILITY INSURANCE FOR ANYINE. THATS WHEN I PULLED OUT AND REPIRTED IT ALL. BUT FUNNY ENIUG THE HANDYMAN IS SUDDENLY THE NEW MANAGER... OMG THAT MAN CAN FOOL ANYONE.
Tsrt - 22-Nov-18 @ 11:12 PM
After posting on facebook for reccomendations i employed a local chippy to put up 3 stud walls for me .his name is Charlie Griffiths trading undef the name of Truegreen Landscapes .After paying him And on closer inspectionI found the work go be really shoddy and so called him in to discuss .he refused to put his work right because when he did my job 2 months prior he allegedly left a £400 drill hidden under some rubbish bags to collect later and it was no longer there. He then proceeded to ask me for my insurance details
Jilly Phaedona - 9-Oct-18 @ 1:15 PM
Mark Mobsby Builders, Farnborough, Hampshire. I employed this builder to complete me a home extension.Areas of substandard workmanship became evident, such as his laminate flooring breaking apart after a week, caused by no sub floor preparation being carried out.As the Builder refused to accept any wrong doing, I obtained advice from CiPHE.A specialist forensic building surveyor attended my home and examined the builder's work.He completed a report that identified Building Regs that were breached, and concluded that areas of the builder's work were "below the standard expected of a competent tradesperson."The builder dismissed the report, so I was left with no choice but to go to Court. Earlier this year I was successful at Court in obtaining a CCJ against the Builder.I was awarded substantial compensation, being successful in nearly every area of my claim.I needed HCEO's to enforce the Judgment. I recently had someone knock on my door seeking a reference. The only advice I could give was do your homework, check references carefully, and check what happens if and when things go wrong. That is when you find out what a tradesmen is really all about ....
patch - 11-Sep-18 @ 8:08 AM
@Ant - try your area Facebook page. Or a private detective.....
BBKI - 3-Sep-18 @ 3:49 PM
Parkway Paving in Ashford did a sloppy job on our drive. They promised to correct anything that wasnt right and said it was guaranteed for seven years. Their addresses are false and they cannot be contacted by phone. Any ideas how to contact them?
Ant - 30-Aug-18 @ 9:58 PM
Vickypk - Your Question:
I paid a deposit of £7000 last October for a new kitchen to a company. They started work at the beginning of April 2018 and we are still without a kitchen with only a few floor bases installed. It's been a nightmare phoning and emailing this company every day to get a workman here. We are lucky if we get someone to do some work for 2 hours in 2 weeks. We have a solicitor but the builder is just saying to him that he wants to complete the kitchen but nothing has changed and no firm dates. Not sure what to do next as I can't carry on with daily emails from the builder with lies and excuses.
Our Response:
The CAB link here , should help answer your question.
TraderScams - 22-Jun-18 @ 2:34 PM
@fuzzy - it's a case of 'take me to court mate' and then you can get all the other people in your locality onside. I'm sure they will all have their own stories to tell.
JohnnieB - 22-Jun-18 @ 9:24 AM
I paid a deposit of £7000 last October for a new kitchen to a company. They started work at the beginning of April 2018 and we are still without a kitchen with only a few floor bases installed. It's been a nightmare phoning and emailing this company every day to get a workman here. We are lucky if we get someone to do some work for 2 hours in 2 weeks. We have a solicitor but the builder is just saying to him that he wants to complete the kitchen but nothing has changed and no firm dates. Not sure what to do next as I can't carry on with daily emails from the builder with lies and excuses.
Vickypk - 22-Jun-18 @ 9:17 AM
i employed a builder to do my extension as he was doing what i thought was a good job around the corner at another property. once the shell was up he started to disappear. I eventually found out he was on another job. After constantly calling to find out what was going on he played me about with I will pop in later this week. Day and then weeks went by with very little effort of doing any work. To add insult to injury he then around 3 months later started another job in my street and still failed to show up to finish jobs off. in the end he made up a list of extra prices which i disputed and I told him to bugger off i will get the jobs finiahed by other tradesman. Eight months on and i receive a call out of the blue asking for the money from the extra list.
fuzzy - 21-Jun-18 @ 9:13 AM
JD decorating of Bournemouth,very poor sloppy workmanship, corners cut, paint spilt and a mess left at the end of the day. After researching owner is an ex con and drug dealer claims to be established 30 years but this is false. Owners son smelt of weed every day who was on the job, always late and very lazy.
Jimbo - 16-Jun-18 @ 7:05 PM
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