How to tacklethe conmen builders
ROGUE builders are everyone’s nightmare but some are downright evil as the tragic story of Colin Juffs showed this week.
Within his heartfelt suicide note to his sister it was clear that Colin, 65, from North Finchley, North London, simply did not know what to do or where to turn when the builder kept lifting his charges.
What started out as a chimney patch became a ridiculous £300,000 rebuild.
No one should be put in this situation, especially with laws we have in this country which greatly protect the consumer. Here’s my mini guide on the subject: AVOID GETTING SCAMMED
Prevention is always better than cure, so it pays to do some due diligence before hiring someone to carry out work in your home. At the very least you should: 1 Check them out online by doing a Google search against their name – this will show if anyone has had a bad experience with them. 2 Ask if they are a member of any trade association and if you can contact the organisation for a reference or membership check. 3 Ask them for references.
Most importantly, agree everything in writing, including what works they are going to do, what the time frames will be and how much it will cost. And NEVER pay all of the money up front. Only agree to pay in stages and when you are satisfied that each stage has been properly completed. A reputable builder will agree to this. IF YOU DO FALL VICTIM TO A ROGUE BUILDER
If you feel you are being scammed, take the following steps: 1 Put your dispute in writing to the builder, setting out the deal you agreed and what you think has gone wrong. 2 Tell them to stop work until they respond in writing (not verbally). 3 If you dispute the quality of their work or the need for any additional work they might be suggesting, call in an independent trader to give you an opinion. 4 If you are still in dispute, contact your local trading standards.
You can also terminate your agreement ( whether written or verbal) and call in a reputable firm to take over.
If the cowboy builder has done a shoddy job you can then claim money from him for the cost of putting such works right.
Most importantly, never suffer in silence. There are always many people who are willing to help.