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Problem with unfinished building work. What can I do? (sorry, long)

2 replies

tallulah · 08/06/2014 17:30

Had a conservatory put in by a well-known local glazing company. They worked quickly to get it finished on Xmas Eve, and the conservatory itself is great - no problem.

The problem is that because the conservatory is higher than the garden, the quote included redoing the steps already there, and paving the area in front of the conservatory. They made the steps roughly with breeze-blocks and left the rest of it, as there was no time before Xmas. The builder told me at the time they'd be back after Xmas to finish up.

Once it stopped raining and we were able to get outside we realised that the steps were steeper and more dangerous than the ones they replaced. In doing the work they'd demolished my rockery and broken the stones, by obviously dragging a wheelbarrow across it rather than use the concrete path. They've also damaged a low wall leading up to the steps, and left rubbish, breeze-blocks and other mess strewn across the garden.

We have phoned them, and phoned them, and phoned them. We are promised call-backs that don't happen, and visits that never materialise. I emailed them in February and asked them to come back and finish the work. Last week I emailed again and told them that if they didn't give us a definite date for it to be sorted by the end of the week I was going to a solicitor. Got an apologetic phone call to say the builders would be with us on Friday. Guess what. No show.

The stumbling block is that they gave us a form to sign when we were happy with the work, which went to the Bank to release funds. Obviously I wasn't going to sign the form until it was all finished, but just after Xmas I got a letter from the bank to say thanks for our business and the money had been released.

DH then admitted (having not mentioned it at all) that the salesman called round on the 21st December and asked him to sign the form. So he signed it Angry. He doesn't deal with paperwork, or money, and he never mentioned that they'd called round. So really I don't think that legally we've got a leg to stand on. He signed the form to say he was happy with the work. What really makes me Angry is that they insisted we were both there to place the order, yet got the form signed with only one of us there.

Where do I go from here?

OP posts:
Julie991 · 08/06/2014 21:03

Was the contract with the company just in your names or joint names ?
If just your name only you can sign to say happy with the work .
If not contact them again in writing & be reasonableness itself , say the
conservatory itself is perfect but the steps let the whole thing down &
are unsafe for children & elderly parents etc . Please come & fix or that you would be unable to reccomend company to friends . Worth a try .

tallulah · 08/06/2014 21:42

Contract in joint names. We've been reasonable all the way along but it isn't working.

OP posts:
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