Paid for architect drawing, still haven't received them :(

[shouldIbecrossaboutthis]

So I had some drawings done for my house to give to the council for planning permission. I paid for them Just over 2 weeks ago, but I still haven't received them and have had no response to my emails/calls.

I paid via internet transfer. Can I ask my bank to get the money back or would I be better off filing a court claim?

Thanks.

[shouldIbecrossaboutthis]

Morning bump

[shouldIbecrossaboutthis]

sorry, just wondering if anyone has any advice?

[pmgkt]

as no one has helped i will give it a go. could you visit them? they may have a reason, serious illness or similar. otherwise it would be the small claims court. how much did you pay for them. One other thing, they haven't emailed them to you as electronic CAD drawings have they?

[shouldIbecrossaboutthis]

Thanks pmgky, they are based in Birmingham, I'm in South West so could visit, but not easily. They were £300 and I've checked my email s that is the way I was expecting them to be sent with hard copies in a few days.

I have house insurance, do you think it's worth calling them for advice? I'm sure I have access to some sort of legal hotline?

[pmgkt]

if you have legal assistance then yes that may well be able to help you. £300 is very cheap for planning permision drawings, that would have caused me concern from the outset (hindsight is wonderful). did they visit you for that money to measure up?

[pmgkt]

have you thought of contacting thier local trading standards, it would give you an idea of wether this is a one off, or have you contacted the local planning office. they may give you an idea of whether they have any dealings with this company, and if they dont know of them it woudl concern me too - most of their business should come from their local area.

[shouldIbecrossaboutthis]

I contacted their local planning office and my own before I got them to do it and they were well know to both and very reputable. I even looked on my local planning portal at plans they had submitted.

I haven't contacted their local trading standards, I thought TS was a national thing, I will have a look into it and give them a call on Sat/Mon, thanks so much for the suggestion. I've never really needed to pay for someone's services before so this is all a bit new to me.

£300 did seem cheap (I just checked bank statement and it was £345) They have an FAQ on their website addressing it. They say they are cheap because others over sell themselves, they have low overheads, and that they ties with construction firms who they recommend their customers to use. And yup they did come to measure up, took about an hour maybe a bit more.

[pmgkt]

Well it seems like you did all you could. Maybe a letter sent recorded delivery would be a starting point giving a date to get the plans to you, before you seek legal advice.