Builder threatening me

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….

As I was driving to Sainsbury's in Chelmsford, at the round about a van was pushing me, he then followed me in Sainsbury's car park where he was filming me and threatening me. Unfortunaty I was taken by surprise and reacted badly as I should have stay in my car to dial 999. As he/they were leaving, since they seem to have followed me there, I screamed at them I knew them, and they sped up, I just managed to catch the side of their van as they drove away.

Electrician

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Installed a new wall socket in the little bedroom. My new electricity box carried on tripping, so called him back but he refused to come telling me it was my age as I wanted attention. I had to call another electrician who discovered that the new wall socket was not wired properly and it was burning!

Central Heating installer

Found via:

Google

Called Sxxxx Heating to enquiry about replacing my gas Vaillant combi with an electric one. The sales man came and lied to me telling me my fuses box would not support an electric one. He then sold me a worcester gas combi. This replacement cost me more than 5000, in the quote they were supposed to replace the condensing pipe, check the radiators, flush the system and so on. BUT they came bringing an electrician, did not wear any PPE nor mask, put in a third electrical socket in a small cupboard, one wonders why, did not checked the radiators and charged me for a nest thermostat which is frankly not a thermostat. After their visit when I opened the cupboard door where the combi is located I just could not believe it! they actually left a big hole in the external (cladded) wall where the old pipe was. They refused to reimburse the money as they did not do the job and created more problems. I then had to call another plumber for my radiators were very noisy and to finish the job they did not do properly and a builder to fill the hole properly. Advice to anybody do not use Sxxxx Heating, all what they are about is money especially when from an old aged pensioner!

Back of property

Found via:

google

He started well and I kept my promise in paying the full amount plus as he asked for more, but he was supposed to come back to create channels for the water to drain, he did not and further more when I asked him, his wife called me threatening me, telling me that she will make sure nobody would ever work for me. I think he is now working for a water facility company.

Back garden

Found via:

CheckATrade

Paid more than 4000 for back area of the property to be tiled. It looked very nice and I thought it would be ok, I am no Diy type person, each time I have to hang a picture I have to call somebody. It rained and disaster, water came flowing inside my extension. Called various builders who told me the damp level has been covered and probably the bricks were hit low as there were few holes I had to block. There were no other way but have it all removed, dig down below the damp level and start again! A very expensive let down. I called him but he declared that I paid him so I must have been pleased with the work! So had to pay to have it fixed!

Tiling

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CheckaTrade

I have lots of jobs to do and he was going to do it all, so he claimed! Started by tiling a small room, I purchased the terracota tiles, the grout and the adhesive and he visited 4 days before to inspect what I bought to make sure he would be able to work with those, he said it was all ok. Came on the booked day though late, spent around 1 hour before disappearing, came back then excused himself not re appearing before late evening. Not tiled up to the walls and his excuse was that 'I might want for the walls to be tiled!' There are sticky and cloud white grout everywhere including outside the small room.

Conservatory

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Checkatrade

I was determined to have some type of room in the garden to house some of my cockatiels. So I invited Mr Xxxxxx to quote. The quote was adequate, they asked for a substantial deposit I gave them, but they told me that they would prefer if the foundations were already done, so I asked the builders who were making good what a landscaper done wrong to do the foundations according to Mr Xxxxxx request, of course I had to pay the builder. Mr Xxxxxx were supposed to start on Wednesday and I could not wait for the job to be done. Wednesday came, 10am nobody, 11am nobody,... by 1pm I thought something was not right, no call, no text, no email, so I called them and they told me they would be there around 8am 'tomorrow', 'tomorrow' came but nobody showed up. When I called I was told they might made a mistake in the quote and they wanted to redo the plan again which would not be possible before sometimes; not a good start, so I decided to cancel. Took me almost 3 months in getting my refund, and I had to make good the foundations, that is the digging and tiling on top. So I stop wanting a conservatory and decided for an awning instead.

Conservatory

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Checkatrade

Ordered a conservatory, a very nice sales lady visited but then disappeared after I paid the requested deposit. They cancelled twice, then refused to refund me. Managed to get my money back thanks to a solicitor who prepared a letter, but they retained 1000 saying it was for the survey. So they got 1000 for nothing! Found they have another conservatory company that is in liquidation!

Roof tiles

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Checkatrade

Because my roof survey revealed many broken tiles, I contacted a roofer to replace those tiles. Once done, he came down and told me that the sides of the roof verges needed concrete and the finish was better, of course he charged me more for this he did not discussed with me before hand. I paid him. 2 weeks later, on a sunday I heard a loud noise, came out and horror, the roof verges had collapsed, the side of the house was full of concrete and broken tiles. I called the roofer who... hung off on me! I panic and did not knew who to call. I called an emergency roofer who came, pull a string and more files came down, then charged me £700 telling me I would have to call the office on Monday as my roof needed to be redone! I actually had to redo my roof and this costed me so much money! I reported to checkatrade, citizen advice bureau and guess? yes you are absolutely right, nothing, absolutely nothing.

Roof Cleaning

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Checkatrade

The roof once more had so much algae, so I invited a company to visit to quote. He seemed professional and I hired him, he was not the cheapest, far away from it! I had to wait as he claimed he was busy, 3 weeks later he came with a machine that lifted him and his partner (he claimed was his dad) onto the roof. Four hours or so later he came to pick up his cash and he left. As I was closing the curtains upstairs I noticed few broken tiles on the roof of the house extension, I went to investigate and there were more on the floor. I then hired a roof survey that revealed that many tiles had been broken. Indeed on my cctv, on the day the roof tiles were cleaned, could hear the cleaning but could also see tiles flying from the roof. I texted him to refund or fix. He never replied. He complained to the police about me harassing him and guess? yes the police accused me in harassing a bad builder! I put a complaint to the police but never got an apology just a letter to say they got it wrong it was a civil matter. I never got my refund and felt so intimidated and stressed by the whole episode!

Roof cleaning & painting

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Checkatrade

My dream was to have my house white with a dark grey roof. B xxxx came to clean and paint the roof of the main house, unfortunately 3 months later the paint was wearing off so had to have it done again and he refused to visit because of the covid lockdown, but then I found he was working elsewhere, just do not want to fix what he has done wrong!

Hot tub area and back garden

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CheckaTrade and TrustATrader

Made 2 pergolas same size. Built half of it ending up in my conifers edges, pointed out to them this could not be. They were not happy about a woman telling them and became very rude. Did not anchor feet into the existing concrete. Roof of each pergola had to be redone. At the time he was and still is advertising, he had no insurance, and the postal address is not right, cannot find his company in company check.

Bathroom 3rd attempt

Found via:

CheckaTrade

Was booked to redo the bathroom (plastering, tiling, shower, sink, toilets) in December 2020 to start end of January. Price 5000 was supposed to be for all plastering, tiling, shower, sink, toilets but I had to purchase the tiles, the sink, the taps, pay the plasterer, the tiler and the painter! So the only things the 5000 was for were the shower, the toilets and the (bad) installation. He refused to give me the receipts (so one wondering if not second hand), though he was paid, and most of the plumbing had to be redone as the toilets system not working properly, water escaping from taps and sealing around the shower needs to be redone. Is this a 'safe plumber'? He still driving around in Chelmsford!

Bathroom 2nd attempt

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CheckaTrade

Sent a request via checkatrade to xx building services, following which appointment was made via mobile. 2 guys came at my door claiming to be working for xx building services. They asked me for money and started putting things in my bathroom I did not asked for but then was asked to pay for, there was a brown kitchen unit there. When I told them they started to blackmail me telling me they would visit to break my knee, I reported them to action fraud but nothing ever happened. They scam me for over 3000! And never been punished for it! I had witnesses who said they been seen working for large site for xx building services but their director denies they ever worked for him, and of course the company who listed them refused to help though they guarantee work done by their advertisers!

Bathroom 1st attempt

Found via:

Trustatrader

Came to take my deposit then asked me for more money to order the bathroom items. He then took all my bathroom items away and never came back (linked to the wall cladding company).

External side wall cladding

Found via:

CheckaTrade, TrustaTrader

Done a bad job cladding which then had to be rectified by another company. They also replaced for colour purposes the gutters back and front but as soon as it rained the 2 gutters droped. When asked to fix Nigel came (after been told by a solicitor), looked up, looked at me and said: 'Oh Pat, don't let me look I suffer from vertigo, ask somebody else to fix', but he had to fix then venged himself using his colleague, I cannot name for legal reasons, to (obvious reply to bathroom revamp request) come down charging me deposit and material then never come back. Just horrid!

Kitchen

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On the A12 seen an advert back of a van, bathroom revamp in Brentwood

Came to redo my kitchen. Brought down the wall plaster for no reason, created a big hole in the kitchen for no reason, removed with an axe my kitchen door I never seen again! He hooked a 32amp hob to a 12amp circuit using a kettle lead he stuffed at the bottom of a smeg oven, so each time I switched on something the whole fuses would collapse. He then decided to build a gazebo in my side garden, I did not asked him to do. Told him not to come back but I had to pay people to remove all the wood left in my side garden and of course to redo most of the kitchen and the tiling. A very expensive small kitchen!