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AnnieS
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30-06-2017, 10:09 PM
1

Catalogue of disasters

So this year and particularly in the past few weeks I've had one DIY disaster after another.

For example ordering a new loo online and then finding it was broken in transit only after the plumber gets here to fit it. Had to settle for an off the shelf model but the plumber nearly fitted it 50cm from the wall with a crooked pipe and no tiling. Lucky I was there to ask questions. Then it took weeks to get them to collect the broken delivery and get a refund. The workmen kindly left me with the old loo for old time's sake. That was a lovely surprise.

Next I decided to get a new handle on an internal door. I couldn't believe they thought I wanted a handle only on one side of the door. They also replaced a door and the workman kindly tidied up the sawdust into the dog towels i'd laid on the floor. He didn't mention that he'd left it in there when he neatly folded the towels so it spilled all over the hall floor. He also kindly left the old door at the side of the house when I'd thought he would take it away.

It's like when our fence was replaced and the workman didn't measure the area properly so the fence only went halfway to where it should and he told me that he thought I had only wanted it up to the tree (with a lovely gap to the neighbouring property.

I could go on. Are there any decent workmen and companies around any more? It seems that everything is such hard work.
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30-06-2017, 10:46 PM
2

Re: Catalogue of disasters

Oooh Annie, I am sorry for your troubles, but I am also relieved to know it's not just me these things happen to.
And don't even start me on workmen!! Sadly, I have got to the point where I don't trust any of them any more, and I have yet to meet one who does what he says he will do.
They always let you down.
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30-06-2017, 11:03 PM
3

Re: Catalogue of disasters

Sorry to hear you have been suffering too. It's so draining having to supervise them when they try to cut corners. I also had the gas safety check guy knacker our boiler and the guys who intalled the boiler turn out not to know how to fix it (after paying them nearly a grand with no heating or hot water in sight, I had to pay another company another grand to fix it properly).

I have made a mental note to list every single thing I want done next time and to ask for it to be itemised on the quote. With the loo my mistake was not to get a written quote so they charged me extra for tiling. I used check a trade but previously I've had luck with rated people, but you do have to be really specific about the job you want then.

What really annoys me is if you get someone to do a job, they make a pigs ear of it and then they want to be paid to come and correct their own incompetence.
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30-06-2017, 11:51 PM
4

Re: Catalogue of disasters

It's often the choice made by yourselves that let you down....do your homework, get references and don't always go with the cheapest....there's usually a reason why they are cheap.

As for leaving old materials behind...I can see why but they should explain or give you the choice.

We have to pay to tip and have to pass this charge onto the customer, some customers prefer to dispose of small amounts themselves as it's free.

I often get annoyed by people slagging off "builders" when they are not in fact builders and the customer made a bad choice in the first place.

You have to take some responsibility for your misfortunes.
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01-07-2017, 12:19 AM
5

Re: Catalogue of disasters

Oi, then I must have made many, many bad decisions then!

The last lot who came to do repairs after my subsidence claim were supposed to repaper the kitchen ceiling, but they never did do it.
They told me that had spent enough on the job and reached the limit of their quotation limit.

That was wrong Terry. If they misquoted that is not my fault, but the buggers went off and never did do my ceiling.
About 18 months after the repairs were done, all the cracks opened up again so I was back to square one.
This was nothing to do with my choosing wrong people, they were people the insurance company sent. Not my fault at all.

I had another local builder due to start. I rushed about getting the plans done and the building regs sorted, then just 2 days before he was due to start I found out he had no intention of starting and never even had the decency to let me know he wasn't coming.

A third one was recommended by the architects. He never even turned up to give me a price.

A suveyor came and did his report. Said foundations were inadequate.

Another surveyor came much later and gave a completely different verdict'
This one said the foundations were adequate and there were no tree roots causing the problem, so it must be leaking drains. (The drains they were already supposed to have repaired)!!

A third engineer called. Did bore holes and found Spruces, Walnut, and Willow roots under my kitchen floor! These were roots the previous twit said didn't exist!

I had to pay £1,000 excess for the claim to be sorted, but it wasn't.
When all the cracks started for the second time, they told me I had to pay another £1,000 excess !!!
Needless to say I told 'em "on yer bike."

So my friend, I cannot accept your supposition that it is always the householders fault if things don't work out.
There are some diabolically bad builders and tradesmen around - present company accepted of course.

As a last comment, I have been fighting for this claim since late 2010, so please forgive me if I get a nervous twitch and seem a little dissolusioned with these men.



.
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01-07-2017, 01:41 AM
6

Re: Catalogue of disasters

When there are a catalogue of disasters with numerous companies/traders then I have to question the procedure of how they were chosen.

Your circumstances are/were different....you were at the mercy of too many people with differing opinions and tbh not so clever professional bods.

You know I sympathise with you on this.
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01-07-2017, 04:11 AM
7

Re: Catalogue of disasters

Originally Posted by AnnieS ->
The workmen kindly left me with the old loo for old time's sake. That was a lovely surprise.
Nothing wrong with an old loo, I have a frangipani growing in mine.




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01-07-2017, 05:54 AM
8

Re: Catalogue of disasters

Yes Bruce it's probably good for stopping the slugs if I grow some veg in it, but something tells me people might be put off eating them if I mention they were grown in the toilet.

Mups it sounds like you were really messed about. I went through check a trade for the loo fitters. They had good reviews so I thought they were a bona fide company. I had another guy come (also good reviews) to quote. He never prepared the quote or got back to me. Texted me last week to say he was too busy. My loo was fitted fine and works ok, I just had to make a fuss to get it done normally and not half a metre from the wall. The door was fitted by a locksmiths and I didn't do my homework on that. The problem in both cases is that they sent junior guys who had to keep phoning the boss. They just weren't experienced enough. These guys weren't cheap.

How do you find decent builders or handymen without personal recommendations? Even with personal recommendations I've had problems in the past. The guy who did the fence was recommended. He was a handyman and good at some things but not others. I recommended the really good company used by a neighbour to a friend. I'd used them for a bathroom, front path and patio. They did really good work for me but sloppy work for the friend. They have since folded the business and left the country. I'd have used them for the jobs if they were still around.

With companies it really depends on who they can get for a job on that day. With my boiler it was a good company that fixed it in the end. But the guy they sent on the day was hungover, looked like he had been clubbing and was half asleep. He insisted on going home at 4 even though he hadn't managed to switch the heating on (in december). He argued with me that the thermostat needed replacing as he couldn't find the wire. Even though he had disconnected this himself. I told him the wire must be there as it was working before. Wires don't just disappear. Next day they sent another guy, in fact they came in together. The other guy was very clued up. Called the guy's wiring a "rat's nest" and said that he was surprised he hadn't seen the wires to the thermostat as they were right there in front of him. He finished the job and it's been working since.

A friend had mould growing downstairs which she was told was from a leaky bathroom upstairs. One company wanted to rip the bath out and change all the plumbing. Another managed to fix it through the ceiling with very little work.

It's all matter of trying different people because everyone problem solves in a different way. The trouble is that this all takes time, effort and energy. People promise you the earth and then try to cut corners. There are really good people there but they are not easy to find even with recommendations and good reviews.
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01-07-2017, 07:19 AM
9

Re: Catalogue of disasters

Originally Posted by Tpin ->
It's often the choice made by yourselves that let you down....do your homework, get references and don't always go with the cheapest....there's usually a reason why they are cheap.

As for leaving old materials behind...I can see why but they should explain or give you the choice.

We have to pay to tip and have to pass this charge onto the customer, some customers prefer to dispose of small amounts themselves as it's free.

I often get annoyed by people slagging off "builders" when they are not in fact builders and the customer made a bad choice in the first place.

You have to take some responsibility for your misfortunes.

Oh joy...

Someone being the voice of the tradesman for a change..

How often did we get a call..Id like a basin fitted.. Simple job you go along and they show you what basin and where you tell them what it will cost..Ok

Then as you work its can you just do x can you Y can you Z ? Fix a light , change the postition, add a rad, move the window!
OH always made sure he gave a written estimate and wrote down the work to be carried out as agreed by the customer, any added works ie; can you just do? was added and signed for by the customer as an extra as he went.

We also carried over a million pounds worth of public liabilty insurence. Worth a lot more than any master builder or plumber guild certificate Public liability is like having your car insured it gives the customer peace of mind that they can claim if anything goes wrong and they wont have to rely on the builder to pay out.
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01-07-2017, 07:31 AM
10

Re: Catalogue of disasters

But Cass you have to admit changing a loo should be a pretty simple job. The loo I had in there was originally changed with very little fuss by someone in the '90s.

It's like when I had a shower installed for the first time the guys who did it didn't chase the electricity cable into the wall, just put a box around it. Your OH did things really well from what you say, but some of the guys out there will cut corners if not supervised and leave a job half done. Just about anyone can set up in trade.
 
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