Abusive email from tradesmen!

[teainteacher]

I'm really shocked and upset by an email I received from a company I hired to plaster and render the bottom floor of my flat. They worked really slowly, and we had a number of problems with their work ethic and days when they didn't turn up at all. They also trampled my flowers. My neighbour told me today that he hired them to render his House, but then asked them to leave before the job was finished because he wasn't happy. I pointed the issues out at the end when I paid them, and received this email in response:

Thanks for payment Lucy but to clarify your neighbour is a complete wanker we gave him a good job as we did you we had to spend time putting works right which your joiner fucked up on we told you this also how could we have rendered back walls when the electrician didn't put is cables in till Thursday & what twat would put plants in when we have got to render where they are what do idiots like you think that we can hover over them also looking round after you had started to paint you've ruined the plastering with your pathetic attempt at painting you & that idiot of a boy friend need a lesson in decorating we are a professional outfit & all our work is of good quality not rushed or bogged look you expect to to clarify your a pair of clowns idiots playing at builders kind regards Martin

I'm really shocked and upset by the response! They were called Nottingham Partitioning when we hired them but they seem to have had different names previously. I'm not sure whether I should respond, or report them to someone?

Any advice appreciated!!

[JustGettingStarted]

You've paid them? You're done with them?

Just move on.

[Sootsprites]

I'd post that reaponse on every review site and local fb tradesman / selling page. Arseholes.

[Buzzardbird]

Dare I ask if they were Nottingham Council approved?

[Boogers]

Rogue Traders? Maybe Matt Alwright knows them by a different name? Failing that does your local council have an approved tradesperson list? If so maybe let them know about that email.

[WaitrosePigeon]

I can't believe anyone would really reply with that? really

Post it EVERYWHERE.

[TheFallenMadonna]

Nasty of course, but you have to smile at "kind regards" after all that vitriol...

[HateSummer]

I have nothing to add, but how rude! Please give them bad reviews everywhere

[McCunty]

Sorry but I don't believe any company would send that....

[BiscuitMillionaire]

I'm sorry but I'm really laughing at him ending it with 'Kind regards Martin'.

Where I live checkatrade.com seems to be very popular, so I would give them a bad review on that or ratedpeople or something.

[teainteacher]

They were really unprofessional when they were here and one guy who was here every day but took a break every twenty minutes wanted a 'private word' with me and then had a go at me for reporting him to his boss! It was a total nightmare. I just hope they don't put a brick through my window or something!!!

[PigletJohn]

BiscuitMillionaire

I love your optimism, but certain websites, which are paid by the advertiser tradesman, mysteriously edit or fail to publish unfavourable reviews.

There is a body of opinion that this makes their advertisements recommendations worthless.

[KoalaDownUnder]

I'd post that reaponse on every review site and local fb tradesman / selling page. Arseholes.

Yep.

And stick it on your Facebook page. They can't delete that!

[Mrsmorton]

[emotionsecho]

Trading Standards might be interested, you could give them a call.

[LyraMortalia]

That's made me laugh out loud, I would move on if you start posting this publicly be very sure that they aren't the ones (albeit ungramnatically) in the right. Render can't be done til the joiner and electrician have completed their jobs is this why this company couldn't come in everyday/left early? Because other works weren't done? They have a point 're flowers. Render has to be applied a certain way sadly flowers do get trampled. I think you've said your piece they have said theirs if you've paid them just laugh at them, never, ever recommend and move on.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

Definitely Stick that review on every SM outlet.

Don't want to derail the thread but.... It had to be a Martin.
Apologies to people called Martin who are sensible but every Martin I have come across is a total dipstick and makes glaring stupid errors whilst thinking they are so clever.

[Skiver123]

Report them to that man from Cowboy Traders, the one on TV. Also report them to the council.

[VeryBitchyRestingFace]

I'd post that all over social media/review sites.

I'd even repost on MM with a Daily Mail friendly thread title in the hope they pick it up (start practising your Sad Face).



And then I'd have a good laugh and put it all behind me because really, someone that pathetic isn't worth getting worked up about, is he?

[teainteacher]

Thanks for the advice, it's nice to know that people agree it was out of order! I don't want to post it everywhere as he knows where I live!

The electrician we hired was on site but had finished the bit they were working on, and plumbing had been completed.

To add context, this is the email I sent before this, addressed to his receptionist:

Hi Karen,

Payment has been made. I have deducted £25 due to damage to plants made whilst rendering. This was not communicated with us previously so we were not given the opportunity to protect the flowers and bushes.

Just as some feedback, we were not impressed with the amount of time the work took, lack of professionalism of staff and lack of communication. We had to cancel a BBQ that had been planned for months to celebrate my birthday due to poor time scales communicated. Our neighbour has also stated that he was unhappy with the work done by your company previously and asked Martin and his team to leave part way through the job.

Regards

Lucy

[kirinm]

You legally can't deduct money - you're in breach of contract. I'd be pissed off if you tried to do that too. Using the example of your neighbours experience is pretty poor too. It's not your experience so why mention it?

Imagine your employer deducting money from your salary without discussing it!

Obviously the response is totally unprofessional but my DP is an electrician and he would be furious with you. Building work notoriously overruns. You should be aware of that.

[teainteacher]

Really? The tradesmen working with me told me not to pay them the full amount based on the work they'd done. I only took a tiny token amount in the end because I didn't dare take more but they said I should have due to the patching up needed afterwards.

They were incredibly slow and I was at the house so could see the rate they were working. I didn't hover over him as he suggested though, I was doing jobs myself and not on site most of the day. They lied to me about sending more people than they did and then couldn't meet the timescales. They took over two weeks to board and plaster four rooms.

I probably shouldn't have mentioned the neighbour but I was just really annoyed by that point. Maybe I'm in the wrong then and his response is ok?

[SpaceDinosaur]

Oh HEEEEELL NO that response is not ok!

Don't be intimidated because he knows where you live. He won't/can't do anything.

Was the response emailed or posted?

Put that response on every local website, "trust a trader" site and notice board you can find.

[kirinm]

No the response is absolutely not okay but you can't deduct money - I know it's not much but you (presumably) agreed a price before they started? You have to pay it. Technically, they could sue you although of course they wouldn't.

Think of it like this. You asked them to carry out work, they gave you a price, you accepted their quote and at that point agreed to pay them that. You're now saying you won't pay the agreed sum - you're not keeping to the contract you made.

It's only £25 and their response is totally over the top but just for future reference, if you think you should be compensated for damage caused by someone, you ask for compensation instead of just deciding to take it.

[kirinm]

Sorry, just noticed you said their work needed patching up. You didn't raise that in your email to them. That doesn't mean you can deduct money but you could open up a dialogue about it first and then if they refuse to repair it, pay them, pursue the cost of getting somebody else to repair it. A total pain in the arse, I know, but that would be the correct approach.

[kirinm]

Sorry, you can of course withhold money but you potentially open yourself up to a dispute - which is also fine but probably best avoided if at all possible. The best way to avoid it is ask to be compensated by agreement.

I hope this is coming across properly - there are lots of cowboy outfits out there and certainly there response is ridiculous. I don't think it's right at all! I'd find it very hard not to respond.