To worry that the gardener is going to do a runner with our money?

[RicktheBrick]

So we moved to a new house earlier this year and the garden is not safe for our 3 kids. We got some quotes and found a guy via Facebook, proper company, lovely pictures of his work. He was a really nice guy too and is able to give us what we want within our budget. It's a massive project, and we are also getting the driveway widened. We booked in for Easter holidays and paid half deposit upfront, said it would take 2 weeks, great we thought. Now I'm really starting to worry that it's either not going to get done at all or it's just going to just drag on and on and take months.

Day 1 - they turned up at half 9 with a mini digger and cracked on and ripped up all the slabs on the patio. But left before 3.

Day 2 - turned up before 9, and again cracked on, dug up the rest of the patio, and leveled it out ready for slabs. Left at about half 4.

Day 3 - simply did not turn up. No text to say they were not coming, and it was only when DH text him, he said he was sorry and his child had ended up in hospital (doubt that this is true now) and that they would be here the next day.

Day 4 - 1 lad turned up at half 8 (in the bosses car), did about 2 hours work cutting back some hedges and then left for the day. Whilst he was here he said the boss would be coming too but obviously he didn't turn up.

Then it was the long bank holiday weekend so they were off from Fri-Mon.

DH text on Monday night confirming they would be here all week, he said yes they would be on the job until complete now.

Day 5 - again, no show. At about half 11 DH text asking where they were. He said they were loading up the slabs and would be bringing them after. But, you guessed it, they didn't turn up.

Day 6 - turned up at about half 9, one of the lads started digging out part of a wall and he was grafting tbf, but the boss and other lad left for about 3 hours, and came back with 2 packs of slabs. They then bought 2 trailers of sand, dumped it on the driveway and clocked off at half 2 because of the rain. Said they would be here at half 8 today and would get cracking with laying the slabs.

Today - 4 of them turned up before half 8, so I had high hopes. BUT they all left again about 5 minutes later and have been gone over an hour now.

This isn't good is it? What do we do? DH has already had several conversations with him about communication and just letting us know what is going on, but they just turn up and leave when they please without a word, they don't even knock on first thing they just come straight round to the garden.

I'm worried that we've paid over £7k to this guy and that hes just not going to complete the job. The money we have remaining is all we have and won't be anywhere near enough to pay someone else to finish it. How on earth do people run businesses like this?

Oh no. That's awful. Can you get legal advice?

That is definitely on the rude side of cheeky. V dismissive when you’ve come on here for advice.

Your update isn't good Op, but otherwise everything else sounds like typical builders juggling multiple jobs at once. I agree to keep on at them about comms and letting you know what's happening.

We've just had our patio done and it was a highly recommended builder & also friend of a friend. He said it would take 2 weeks and we're now 6 weeks later and still not complete. They're nearly finished and apparently it's a supply issue, so who knows but if I didn't know the guy on a personal level, I'd totally think he was scamming me (as a number of other things have happened with this job too - I know they're legit as am able to verify, but if we didn't have friends in common, I'd not know he was telling the truth & wouldn't actually believe him!)

Anyway, fingers crossed he's just a typical builder and it will work out ok! Don't give him anymore money though!

Next time they disappear, follow them.

Dh would always take 50% deposit towards materials

Did they give you a time frame of how long it would take Ie 2w or a month etx

Do you have a quote with prices and times

Weather and bank holidays haven't helped recently

Maybe give the man a call

Oh no. We had similar to this with an ensuite bathroom, coming and going, half an hour here and there, took about 6 weeks when should have taken about 3 days - total nightmare!

I'm not sure you can do much more at this stage than hope it comes good, certainly don't pay any more than the £7K until it's significantly further on!

Can you try and get them to deliver the slabs? Try and get as much materials on site as possible. Will give you more leverage. And don't pay a penny more until it's done.

Yes, we absolutely won't be paying another penny more until the job is complete and we are happy with it.

Just had one of his lads turn up and start shovelling sand into the back of his van. I went out and asked him what was going on, and he said the others had gone to get more slabs, and that he needed some sand for another job as the boss hadn't left him with a card to go and buy some but he'd be replacing it here.

DH called the boss and had another conversation about communication and the speed at which the job is going as we don't feel like they've made much progress since day 2 and he said they were on the way back with slabs and they have literally just pulled up now.

I would, but I have 3 kids at home and they'd be long gone by the time I'd got them all strapped in the car 🤣

That's a nightmare. There was a local builder doing this near me, taking large deposits and then doing tiny amounts of demo work before eventually disappearing to the next customer. The police had a file of complaints. Most landscapers in my area would do phased payments, the first only being due when a certain amount to that value has been completed. Nothing you can do now except ring the builder every day for an 'update on the schedule' and hopefully he'll finish quickly (to get you off his back)

It's absolutely horrendous that so many dodgy tradesmen get away with doing this to people, knowing they're spending all their money on something, don't know how they sleep at night.

They're starting on the patio now, he said he just didn't want to not have enough slabs for the next 2 days and then keep having to stop and start having to go and get more, so he's got enough for now and will be bringing a load more on Monday for next week. Which makes sense I suppose. But still, a 3 hour round trip for slabs that he already apparently has in his yard.

I'll be inspecting their work very closely and making it clear that payment will be made once we are happy. I'm not having little bits being left and promises of him coming back to finish and then just not turning up which he apparently has form for.

We got ours done last year, we didn't pay a deposit (they didn't ask for one). We paid half the balance half way through the works, and the remaining when they'd finished

How did you pay? I learnt the hard way to pay chunks by credit card. I hope it all works out.

It just sounds like a builder being a builder

Turn up late, do an hours work, go home

Next two days nothing

Next day turn up late, stays two hours then goes

Then you have a few days or far fetched excuses

Another day passes, somebody turns up for half an hour then leaves

They'll have loads of other jobs going on at the same time and fit you in when they can or when the weather means they can't do another job that day

Dont panic.

They will be back obviously working on another job too.
Just exoect it will take 4 weeks not 2!

Sounds like plenty of people have had similar experiences. In our last house we had a fence put up and the guys literally threw it up in about 3 hours. They worked non stop. Same company came back to do our patio a couple of years later, again they worked non stop and did it in about 3 days. That's probably the biggest load of work we've had done so don't have experience of tradesmen being like this. Even the guy who replaced our boiler worked a 12 hour day to get it done.

Weather n bank Holiday is also an issue.

March was an extremely wet month.

We paid by bank transfer. I don't have a 7k limit even across several credit cards.

I prefer they didn't rush it as then u can notice any snags along the way.

If they'd blamed the weather that's fair enough but that hasn't been mentioned at all.

Fingers x for you OP.
My rule is no large deposit - they need to pay for materials then we buy them, so they are in our name, delivered to our address- any pre payments made by credit card (I’ll even pay a % more to cover their transaction fee)- just added protection.

Why do people never learn dont pay up front big big mistake

Check A Trade got mentioned upthread. I always use them to see who I shouldn’t be using! Its not a governing body it’s just a site that trades pay to advertise on then get their mates to leave glowing reviews.

OP I think your job will get done eventually but you’ll have to keep on top of them and don’t pay any more til it’s done to your satisfaction. These small businesses try to keep too many plates spinning and jump from one job to another.

Next time only pay a small goodwill deposit. If they want money for materials pay direct for that in your name, delivered to your home.

It’s a minefield out there.

I haven't paid in full up front. I've paid a deposit, which is very very common, far more common than not paying a deposit at all I'd say. Especially for a large expensive project.

It's all about sharing the risk isn't it really. We've taken a risk paying a deposit up front in that they could walk off the job at any time. And they take the risk that we won't pay the remaining balance.

You're absolutely right about taking on too much, I've just heard him on the phone to several of his lads asking how jobs are going so he's definitely got his fingers in a few pies.

Slabs are being laid now so for now, I'm much calmer.