To be Piss*d off with a gas fitter for phoning me 6 times in 2 hours for money.

[avenanap]

I had a cooker replaced by my insurance company last week. They paid for someone to come out and fit it. He looked at the pipework at the back and refused to fit the new cooker because the pipe was too long and in the wrong place. He told me he would fix it for £70, made it sound like a big job. It took 10 minutes. I wrote him a cheque, I got to the bank too late to transfer the money into the account (by 4 minutes!), the bank bounced it. He phoned on Friday saying it had bounced twice, I phoned the bank they said it had bounced once, I asked him not to put it in again and would send him a postal order on Saturday, which I did. The cheque bounced again the next day because I took the money that I transferred out so that I could send it to him (I did tell him I would have to take it out to send him), I have been charged again.
Today (2 working days later) He phones 6 times, 1st using his number, then a withheld. I explained that it has been posted and it's probably in a sorting office. I asked him to give me a call at the end of the week if he's still not recieved it. I did tell him that I had posted it on Saturday and it depends on the post. Then his friend shows up asking for money . I had to say to friend (again) that it was posted on Saturday so it's at royal mail somewhere. Friend then get arsey, 'well, I may be back in a couple of days then'. I feel harassed. I know he's running a business but I'm getting really pissed off. It's not as if I can do anything about it. Am I being unreasonable about this?

£70???

You've been had.

Sorry.

He was paid to fit a new cooker, then charged you £70 for a 10 minute pipe switching job? Was he CORGI registered?

I'd get onto the insurance company and complain.

you have been overcharged, just spoke to dh who is corgi reg and fits cookers reg, £30 would of been enough, dh says you do not need to pay him, or you can pay him about £30, small claims court wouldn't even look at the case, if you are not happy with the work or charge there is nothing that can be done (prob shouldn't be saying this but its true, dh has had a few non payers)

We had someone come and do a job and we were waiting for BG to do something similar to your lovely workman. He did it for nothing once he knew and I gave him a tenner for a drink.

The insurance company paid him to fit the new cooker, he refused to fit the new one because he said the pipe was on the floor and was in breach of gas regulations. I've had the £70 refunded by the agency that look after the house but I've had 2 lots of bank charges totalling £72! It's the phoning up and sending his mate round that's really pissed me off.

what did his mate mean when he might be back? that could be seen as threatening! id answer his next call and tell him the check is the mail you will call later in the week to ensure he got it but you would rather not hear from him again or you may be forced to call the police and report him for harassing you

For the money in case I said I'd sent it but hadn't. I have gas fitters address so I might send him a letter. Then report him to the company that supplied the cooker. I'm so pissed off though.

Sending his mate round was uneccaptable. That's threatening behaviour.

However, what's wrong with charging £70 for a 10 minute job? You get cahrged £2 for changing the pipe and £68 for knowing what to do. Why didn't you do it if it was so easy?

DH (CORGI registered) was called to check if there was a gas leak where some idiot put a nail through a pipe. He assessed that there wasn't and the bloody customer couldn't get him out of the house fast enough. He never got paid. Obviously, saving one's life isn't worth a penny.

I think we paid about that to have pipe changed and cooker fitted after corgi regs were updated so the previously used heights became unacceptable, i think it depends where you are in the country for pricing.

I think that you are right to be pissed off, but perhaps he has had lots of trouble, few people accept cheques now due to fraudsters so maybe he has assumed that you are trying not to pay after bad experiences.

I don't mind paying for it, it's been refunded anyway so I'm not out of pocket. It's the harassment and the fact that he put the cheque in the bank again when I had already told him that I had taken the money out so I could send him a postal order (I didn't want a cheque to bounce again). I think phoning someone 6 times is too much.

i would def report him its not right to be calling ppl all the time like that and its esp out of order to send his mate round i can only presume he did that to intimidate you

Yep, report him (and I mean this seriously, threatening behaviour is just plain wrong, whatever the reason). Shame there isn't a similar system for bad customers too.

I will. Thankyou. I regret paying the to**er now!

avenanap, can't your dh answer the door or phone next time, might that help?

I would if I had one.

I had a funny feeling you were gonna say that avenanap - the bastard clearly thinks you are an easy target to bully.

He knows its just you doesn't he? Pig (him not you)

No. I didn't mention anything. I may have to get my boyfriend (bloke next door) to have a chat! I'll leave it until Friday, he should have had the postal order by then. Or I could go to the post office and report it lost .