Not able to contact plumber - he has £3000

[Hello113]

Plumber was meant to start my bathroom this week but I can't reach him. I've been trying for 2.5 weeks. I've WhatsApp, text, email and call - nothing. Phone goes straight to voicemail. As of yesterday my WhatsApp messages are on one tick. He has £3000 of mine which I paid for materials. What to do now???

https://www.nationaltradingstandards.uk/work-areas/scams-team/

sorry it sounds like you’ve been scammed, how did you find him?

😬
How did you pay him?

Contact your bank and see if you can stop/reverse the payment (edit- not sure if this is possible).

You didn't get the materials delivered to him, did you?

Does he have a website? Do you have a postal address for him, either personal or a business address? Is his company registered? Do you have some kind of receipt for your payment, even an email or text?
These would be a starting point for tracing him and getting your money back. You could send a stiff letter (or email or whatever) saying that you'll be taking legal proceedings unless he either does the job or returns your money, but that will only work if you can identify him. It may be a scammer using a fake name or company name. Hope not.

If you can't see his profile picture and it's on one tick. He's blocked you Contact him off a different number and see you if you get a response.

He's sounds like a fraud that you might have to take to smalls claims court.

Sorry this has happened to you.

I would repost this on my builder if you haven't already.

This is no help to you now, but it's a bad sign to be asked for money for materials up front. Any reputable tradesman will have credit with suppliers or may ask you to order the materials directly. A reasonable deposit when booking to avoid you pulling out at the last minute may be acceptable, but you should get a proper receipt with a postal address on it.

Unfortunately I think you’ve lost 3k. Sorry. It’s really shit. I’ve had a similar experience but thankfully only £750.

The only chance you’ll have of getting your money back is if you paid by credit or debit card. If you’ve paid cash or bank transfer (which is as good as paying cash) your bank won’t help you.

I'm going to say what I always do in these situations. I know it's probably too late for you OP, and I'm not rubbing your nose in it it. But.
If you buy materials, they are yours and you get them delivered to you.
Get a proper quote, detailing exactly what will be done
Get a proper invoice at the finish of the work.
You do not pay up front. You pay when the job is finished, to your satisfaction.
I've always done this.
(Just for the benefit of others. So you don't get scammed)

Very interested in this post as I have also been asked to pay 25% of the total cost of a bathroom renovation, and wondered if this was normal as I feel very uncomfortable with it.

Apparently though, a lot of tradesmen do this now as far as I can tell from googling it.

His estimate also states that until the job is finished all materials belong to his company, which is a bit thick considering he wants me to pay for them upfront.

Sorry to hear this has happened to you OP. It does sound like he's a scammer.

I'm assuming you didn't go through a website like 'mybuilder.com', if you did that should be your first port of call.

I hope you manage to get your money back.

Could you get a friend to contact him on the pretext of wanting a quote and then be at the friends house with support when he arrives?

You need to speak to your bank & explain what’s happened. The protections around BAC’s payments have changed and you need to explain that you think this individual is a fraudster.

It is also important you report the individual to trading standards. You can do this by contacting the Citizens Advice.

We had a similar (but different) situation with a plumber, and I’d love to know this persons name but that’s hard on here. It turned out the guy was a conman & had loads of jobs ‘started’ and unfinished. The amount of damage he caused to our property & someone else’s - if nothing else comes of it, at least he hasn’t touched your property.

Call him from a different number.

A good & reputable plumbing company will have sufficient cash flow to manage purchasing products in advance to start your bathroom. Most work on account with their suppliers anyway. I understand wanting some kind of deposit, but 25% upfront feels steep.

It does sound like you've been scammed.

Really sorry. Contact your bank ASAP and the police too.

Thanks for that, yes, that's what I thought.

Seems a lot of money to just hand over to a complete stranger on trust.

I do think he's a genuine tradesman but I'm probably not going to use him as some of his reviews are a bit iffy and I think I can find someone better.

There has been a massive increase in customers refusing to pay upon completion. I don’t really blame them for wanting a 25% deposit but I’d want that buttoned up with a signed contract and it would be a company I could verify was legit before I made any sort of payment.

I think you’ve been scammed.

Use a different number and pretend to be interested in a quote that way you’ll know if he’s ignoring you.
Search his name/company.
How did you pay? Contact your bank if it’s via banking.

There’s a vast difference between taking 25% upfront without lifting a finger. Vs taking interim payments at pre-determined intervals in the project which reflect fairly the work completed so far.
But always, the final balance shouldn’t be settled until work is completed to the pre-agreed standard.

My worse half is a plumber...

1. Go on companies House website and put the name of the company in the search bar and will give you a business address you could possibly attend.

2. Agree with previous poster to get a friend/family member to call off another number and book a quote as a way to ambush him.

3. If payed by credit card see if you can claim it back.

4. it's normal in my part of the country that a deposit is requested for materials as another previous poster states its murder when the job is completed and the customer refuses payment for a host of stupid reasons. (One customer didn't like the tiles (that they picked). So atleast if payment is refused he's not 'out of pocket' per-say for materials and it's just the cost of his labour he's down.

How did you pay? We had a similar issue with fencing last year and we were able to claim it back via our bank, we paid by BACS. They ask for the evidence and then claim it through their bank. Likewise, you can claim it back if paid by Credit Card. Good luck!

Why on earth did you give him three grand?! Madness.

Yep, have learned this the hard way. Proper contract, expectations laid out, schedule of works and schedule of payments. Otherwise someone (historically me) ends up unhappy.

Sorry OP, no advice but obviously sounds like a scam!