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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to name and shame this builder

30 replies

CokeFan · 02/11/2009 17:53

So... we're having our (useless) garage converted into a room by a local builder. He's done about a week and a half's work on it so far and as it's an integral garage he's got a front door and garage key.

This afternoon I returned home at about 4pm to find he'd already gone for the day and left the front door key in the door!!!

Our driveway is only slightly longer than a car so it was really obvious from the road.

What would you do?

OP posts:
norksinmywaistband · 02/11/2009 18:06

Be grateful the key was still there.
Then speak sternly to the builder about his lack of security awareness.
I don't think it is the sort of thing that needs naming and shaming - more likely a slip up, we all have them - so I think YABU

shootfromthehip · 02/11/2009 18:08

Yip, I agree- tell him off and leave it at that. Unless he's making an arse of the work YABU

eyetunes · 02/11/2009 18:08

It sounds like a genuine mistake to me. I would not name and shame unless he does a bad job, then everyone should know.

Divvy · 02/11/2009 18:08

Ring him and ask him if he has the key still, as you have been broken into!

Let him sweat!

madamearcati · 02/11/2009 18:12

What arrangement had you made with him re the key ?
He probably thought you might not have taken a key with you in which case you would have been fuming if he had posted it through the letterbox.If he had hidden it you might not have found it.
Most of the builders round this way knock off at about 4 in winter.they usually start at 8 so that's fair enough.

Fabster · 02/11/2009 18:22

YABU

You ought to agree hors before signing contracts.

Just about everyone has left the key in the door. I left mine all night once. Luckily we live in a nice area.

Worse things happen and naming and shaming is just ott.

oldraver · 02/11/2009 18:28

He will realise when he cant get in tomorrow.

Original poster
CokeFan · 02/11/2009 18:30

Fabster - I'm not bothered about the hours as long as the job gets done - Personally I'd be mortified if I'd been lent someone's house key and then left an ideal opportunity for burglars to get in.

maamearcati - he's had the key since he started the work. He knows it's a "spare" so there's no question that he would be handing it back each day.

Presumably we'd not be covered on our contents insurance if someone got in and took everything (including the other car) with the keys?

If I was a really sneaky burglar I'd just have taken the keys today and then returned at my leisure to get what I wanted (after a quick look around of course)

OP posts:
gingernutlover · 02/11/2009 18:46

YABU to "name and shame" someone in public for making a genuine mistake - he's human.

YANBU to have a really stern go at him - genuine mistake but could have resulted very very badly for you.

gingernutlover · 02/11/2009 18:47

and I agree nothing wrong with him leaving at 4pm - perfectly normal in my experience.

PavlovtheForgetfulCat · 02/11/2009 18:48

Harsh to name and shame him for one error, and I am not a fan of builders right now. But you do need to talk to him, as if anything was taken as a result of it, you would not be insured.

shineoncrazyfirecracker · 02/11/2009 18:49

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Original poster
CokeFan · 02/11/2009 18:51

Actually, I've no idea when he left - could have been any time after 1.30pm. He's not exactly been here full time (and just back from a week and a half holiday). As I say, not an issue - just indicating that I knew by the time that he wouldn't be coming back today. Sometimes he pops out e.g. to the tip during the day and I knew that this wasn't the case.

I'm a SAHM and so don't have regular hours out so I had no idea when he'd leave and he had no idea when I'd be back.

OP posts:
Original poster
CokeFan · 02/11/2009 18:54

Also - how do I know we haven't had anything taken? There's nothing obviously missing but anyone could have been in here this afternoon.

OP posts:
shineoncrazyfirecracker · 02/11/2009 18:54

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shineoncrazyfirecracker · 02/11/2009 18:56

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preciouslillywhite · 02/11/2009 18:57

My dp has done this many, many times

Original poster
CokeFan · 02/11/2009 19:01

Well, I'm not giving him the key back (if I even admit I've got it, rather than let him look for it for a bit )

I agree I'd feel a bit stupid if I'd done it to my own house but to do it at a customers?

OP posts:
passthevino · 02/11/2009 19:07

Sometimes you just have to breathe and let these things go. Just tell him what happened and to be more careful in the future. We had a decorator in and we left him alone in the house for a few hours. When we got back I was using my laptop and noticed in the 'pages visited' history for that morning that there were some hardcore porn websites!

I asked DH if it was him and really wouldn't have been that bothered since I'm about to drop DC no. 3 and am really not in the mood just at the moment! He swore on our children's lives it wasn't him.

How cheeky is that?? Nasty painter man surfing porn while we were out. Obviously we have no real proof and he denied it to his boss. Cheeky fecker.

I was worried about what else he might have done but realised the current contents of my knicker drawer would probably only give him nightmares if he's attempted to rummage for anything saucy...

Original poster
CokeFan · 02/11/2009 19:29

Ok - so I wouldn't actually name and shame him (or probably recommend him now).

I was (briefly) tempted to make up a list of things we'd had "stolen" but my conscience got the better of me.

I guess it's just a trust issue.

If I'd started this thread "we've been burgled - everything's been taken and we're not covered on the house insurance because they used the keys we gave the builder to get in when he left them in the front door - visible from the road" then it would have been a different story indeed.

OP posts:
shineoncrazyfirecracker · 02/11/2009 20:01

This reply has been deleted

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Original poster
CokeFan · 02/11/2009 20:06

ooooh yummy wine - thank you shineon cheers!

OP posts:
ILikeToMoveItMoveIt · 02/11/2009 20:23

It was stupid but he wouldn't have done it on purpose - whether it be at a customers house or not.

We ALL make mistakes.

I really think you need some perspective and the rest of that bottle of wine.

Original poster
CokeFan · 04/11/2009 07:07

Update:

I was out yesterday when he arrived and left.

When I came home (at an unspecified time, but pretty late, just in case someone thinks that might be a problem ) there was a note through the door. It didn't mention the keys - just had a list of questions for us to answer about positions of sockets, lights etc.

Anyway, we had to call him back because the house electricity had tripped some time during the day and all the sockets were off (heating, fridge, freezer etc.), which can understandably happen with the equipment they use, and he hadn't reset it. The reset switches are in the garage, which is now boarded up and has no door so we couldn't get in ourselves easily.

DH spoke to him when he arrived and answered the questions. Still no mention of keys from him so DH told him. Apparently he had no idea they were missing and assumed he'd left them at home . So the keys could easily have disappeared on Monday and none of us would have been any the wiser until we came home to find the house empty.

He hasn't been given another set of keys and is aware that we are not happy.

OP posts:
Original poster
CokeFan · 04/11/2009 11:39

He's apologised. Apparently we would have been covered on his insurance.

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