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Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 12:33 pm
by Dave_L
I wouldn't (as a general rule) employ the services of a company who cannot provide a landline (not 0800) phone number (that works) and a physical address.
Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 2:01 am
by lutonlagerlout
LPAD maybe you didnt read me right
I concur most of the travellers do very shoddy work
but they arent all complete numpties and some realise that to get more work they must leave customers happy
not many mind ,may be 10-15 %
but there are some decent scuds on sites
LLL
Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 8:31 am
by Pablo
I agree LLL one of the very best pavers in my area is a traveller I've had a good look a several of his jobs and couldn't fault them. Generally though they are the bane of my life whether it be theft or shoddy work. A lot of people where I'm from live in caravans because there's not enough housing and it's to expensive.
Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 8:15 pm
by local patios and driveway
I guess its all about racism. You simply cant tar all with same brush. We all know that. But travellers? You cant tar them with the brush incase they nick it!...
Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:20 pm
by mrzen
Update...
Summary:
- This guy cold called my Elderly Neighbour at his door.
- He was offered a quick deal.
- He had a decent enough reputation.
- He didn't form a written contract with required legal cooling off period.
- He did a terrible job (and admitted it)
- but... he did offer to redo the drive.
- but then... he gave a false address, land line and name.
- and then... when I did get an address, it was not a permanent address good enough for forming a legal contract.
On Friday I called Hampshire Trading Standards, just for some advice on how to deal with this situation.
Here is what they said:
All trading such as this needs to have written contract in place, which can take the form of a quote, but which needs to contain a written explanation of a 7 day 'cooling off' period (after acceptance of the quote) during which time the customer can cancel without charge.
The contract is to protect both the customer and the trades person, because if there is no contract and cooling off period, then the customer is not under any legal obligation to pay for any work agreed verbally or not (we would of course paid for the work if it had been completed correctly).
So - we are apparently under no obligation to pay for the tarmac that has been dumped on our drive, but we are out of pocket anyway because now we need to pay someone to lift the stuff and dispose of it.
Trading standards were very interested in this company as they had received a number of complaints in the past about them. They wanted to come and meet with the guy, so offered to send down 2 officers to meet with him on Monday (today) morning, they would explain the situation and try to make sure that we got what we wanted in terms of repair work.
This morning, the guy turned up in a lorry, I walked out of the front door followed by 2 people wearing Council branding, he turned, walked back to his lorry and drove off without a word...
I want to make something really clear - I will happily pay for a job to be done properly.
However, I will only deal with legitimate companies who, when they guarantee their work for 5 years, need to have a registered address, a land line number and some kind of trade association so that there can be some kind of reasonable come back if something goes wrong.
seanandruby
my word is my bond
I understand what you are saying, but it's not good enough I'm afraid - if someone goes around advertising 5 year guarantees then there needs to be something backing it up that is legally binding.
Also 'your word' doesn't apply to the client - if someone won't pay you, you will need the paperwork to back it up, or the law won't be on your side.
localpatiosanddriveways
I guess its all about racism
Not at all, I have no problem where anyone comes from, I take people at face value, but I want to make sure that if a guarantee is offered, there is a way to come back to the company (of course any company could go bust, but obviously if the only address is a caravan park, there is no paperwork and the only number is a mobile, it would be very hard in a few years time to call them up...)
Thanks for the replies - I hope that this thread is useful to traders and clients and thanks to Hampshire Trading Standards who have been excellent.
Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:30 pm
by mrzen
Oh - last thought:
If anyone is in the Hampshire area and would like to put together a quote for pulling up the tarmac, disposing of it and doing the job properly, I would be very grateful. You will obviously have to be legitimate!
Area is actually approx 84sqm (22x4), a little more than I estimated before...
This is what needs doing:
1) Remove existing layer of recently laid tarmac and dispose of safely.
2) Sweep the surface thoroughly to remove any loose surface material.
3) Hoover any remaining material.
4) Clear any moss and kill with spray.
5) Spray entire area with bitumen to seal the surface.
6) Lay new layer of fresh tarmac.
7) Compact using a heavy machine roller. A garden roller will not be used.
The tarmac surface will be flush with the existing kerbstones to allow water to soak away in the beds.
9) The area (including kerbstones) will be swept and free from tarmac debris before handing over to the client for acceptance.
Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:41 pm
by lutonlagerlout
there is a big difference between 45 and 84 m2 matt
86%
you have probably done the right thing, the cooling off period ,does that only apply to cold calls?
I have priced work before and people want it done ASAP
good luck
LLL
Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:51 pm
by mrzen
yes there is a big difference, it was a poor finger in the air estimate from me without even pacing it out because I was in a hurry - I'm not actually moaning about the price we were quoted originally now I've measured it out properly, although it's probably still a little on the pricey side given what was actually delivered!
In terms of the law, and getting things done ASAP, that is perfectly fine, here is how Trading Standards explained it to me:
The contractor has to provide the 7 day cooling off period in writing, however, if a customer opts to waive it because they want to have the job done at once, you need to get them to sign that they have waived it.
HOWEVER - watch out, even if they have waived it in writing, they can still cancel within the 7 days, but would only be liable to pay a pro-rata cost, not necessarily the full cost...
If you don't follow these rules, you may find that if you get into a dispute about something, you may not be able to rely on the courts to get the money you are owed.
ps - not sure if it only applies to cold calls - quite possibly...
Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 6:04 pm
by Dave_L
Budget for around £1750/£1800 plus VAT for this job.