Window fitter took £20k from customers without doing work

AWINDOW fitter took more than £20,000 from customers including a 90-year-old woman without finishing or in some cases starting work.

The series of frauds left one woman “feeling like a fool”, and one couple moving house.

Andrew Davies, 41, of Swansea, took deposits from customers who agreed a price for the defendant to build conservatories or fit windows.

Many were unable to contact Davies after paying deposits, and no work was carried out on their properties.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard the offences were carried out between November 2020 and September 2021, with 15 customers affected. The total sum illegally obtained by Davies came to £22,487.

The first victim, who lived in Swansea, paid a £384 deposit for a uPVC door after he was cold called by the defendant, but after the deposit was taken no work was carried out.

The second victim paid £4,230 for replacement windows, after seeing Davies on Facebook.

He attended the property and claimed the windows were made in his own factory.

The deposit was taken and multiple start dates were given, but after the customer read bad reviews, she requested a refund which was not given.

The third victim paid £1,000 for reclining windows and a front door, but once the door was fitted it held water and no-one returned to rectify the problem. A refund was asked for but not given.

The fourth victim, from Pontypool, paid a £1,000 deposit for eight windows, but Davies gave excuses about the start date and stopped responding to queries.

The fifth victim, also from Pontypool, paid £2,388 for windows after being cold called, with the work due to be completed in two months, but Davies failed to respond.

She said she and her husband had “no option” but to sell their home and move after the incident.

A sixth victim, a 90-year-old woman from Swansea, paid a £820 deposit for six windows.

She later tried to cancel and the defendant told her he had posted the cheque in the post, but it never came. In her victim personal statement, the woman said: “I was so isolated after the 2020 lockdown, when I saw an honest looking young man I thought he had come to help. I feel like a fool. I’m an elderly woman living alone and I can ill afford to lose money.

“The deposit has not been returned despite numerous attempts, which has caused worry to myself and my two sons.

“They were very much concerned I was making myself unwell and I have lost self confidence.

“I am too nervous about having manual jobs done now. I used to be outgoing but it has shaken my confidence. I question the simplest things and have difficulty making decisions.”

The seventh victim, from Cardiff, paid a £500 deposit but did not hear back from Davies.

The eighth victim, from Swansea, paid £1,000 towards a conservatory after discovering the defendant on Facebook, but attempts to contact him fell on deaf ears.

The ninth victim, from Pembrokeshire, paid £2,500 towards a conservatory, and a worker did attend the property to lay ground works but there was no follow up work.

The groundworks were left uneven, unstable and in a dangerous condition.

The 10th victim, from Port Talbot, paid £340 via bank transfer, but initially wanted to pay by credit card for security.

Prosecutor Ian Ibrahim said Davies claimed he had forgotten his card machine, and later said he could not find it.

He accused her of “messing him around” and felt pressured to pay via bank transfer. The victim later requested a refund but none was forthcoming.

The 11th victim paid £1,000 towards a conservatory, which was paid into the defendant’s then partner’s account, but no work was carried out at the property.

The 12th victim, of Aberdare, paid £175 towards the fitting of a cat flap, but she did not hear from Davies afterwards.

The 13th victim, of Merthyr Vale, paid £3,000 for a conservatory, but no work was carried out.

The 14th victim, of St Mellons, paid £550 by bank transfer, but after carrying out research on Davies, he asked for a refund which was not supplied.

The 15th victim paid £3,000 towards a conservatory, but work led to a rainwater pipe being damaged. The customer had to pay £700 for concrete to fill the groundworks that were left.

Davies, of Taliesyn Road, Townhill, later pleaded guilty to 12 counts of fraud and three counts of offences against the Consumer Protection Act. The court heard he had previously been imprisoned for robbery.

In mitigation, the defendant gave a basis of plea stating he intended to carry out the work commissioned by the victims, but misled them in regards to when the work would be started.

Defence barrister Byron Broadstock said his client intends to gain employment upon his release from prison, but would work for others rather than reviving his business.

Sentencing, Recorder Greg Bull KC said: “These elderly people feel devastated as a result of their loss and the treatment you gave them... I don’t think you have any prospect of paying that loss.”

Davies was sentenced on Tuesday to a total of 19 months’ imprisonment.

He will serve half the sentence in custody before he is released to serve the remainder on licence.