To want to name and shame this builder

[CokeFan]

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?

[CokeFan]

Exactly Stayingsunnygirl - that's what I was (incompetently) trying to say.

(and I meant 24 hours, not 48 - I can't count)

[Stayingsunnygirl]

Annh - yes, most of us may well have left our keys in the door at some time - I have. But this builder didn't leave his own keys in his own front door, he left someone else's keys in their front door - surely that is more reprehensible.

If you are entrusted with someone else's keys, you should be consciously very careful with them, in my opinion, and this builder wasn't.

[CokeFan]

Why does anyone think he left at 4pm? I never said that! I said I arrived home at 4pm and I knew he'd gone for the day because everything was boarded up.

Also, why would anyone think that was a problem?

There's no plaster or tiles yet - it's all been demolition type bits so far.

The problem is that he left our keys in the front door and left for the day. It was done in a way that was very obvious from the road and then he didn't admit to it until challenged (48 hours later).

[annh]

I think you're being unfair. Surely we've all left keys in the door at some stage or other? With regards to leaving at 4 p.m., perhaps he'd come to the end of a piece of work and it just didn't make sense to start something new that day? Perhaps he was waiting for plaster to dry or tiles to set and couldn't do anything more until morning? If this is your only issue with him so far, I think you need to chill - or read some of the real horror stories about builders on here!

[PixiNanny]

He sounds like a muppet really, but then again, he's only human!

My Dad's a builder too, would be pretty jealous at the 4pm finish (rather than the 9pm finishes he has atm!)

[CokeFan]

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

[CokeFan]

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.

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

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.

[CokeFan]

ooooh yummy wine - thank you shineon cheers!

[CokeFan]

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.

[passthevino]

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...

[CokeFan]

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?

[preciouslillywhite]

My dp has done this many, many times

[CokeFan]

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.

[CokeFan]

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.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

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.

[gingernutlover]

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

[gingernutlover]

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.

[CokeFan]

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)

[oldraver]

He will realise when he cant get in tomorrow.

[Fabster]

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.