Threatened legal action from Debt Collector

[Joy5]

I'm renovating a house, and living in rented accommodation while i'm doing it. I paid a gas man to do new central heating and a total bathroom refit.

Before the work was finished he told me the gas meter had been stolen from in the old coal house. He'd disconnected the meter to fit the new boiler next to it. I'd still got working radiators and when i questioned him how, he'd fitted his 'own' meter in place of mine.

I made him remove the illegal meter, and had to wait over two months for a new one as the house was an empty property.

He billed me for the final payment for the new central heating and full bathroom refit. Except i had to pay another gas man to finish the central heating, and get another tiler to re-do the floor tile grouting in the bathroom as within a day of walking on it it just disappeared.

I with held the cost of the work to finish both jobs, and have the receipts to show what i paid. I don't see why i should pay the first gas man for work i had to get someone else to do.

Now he's got a Debt Collector to contact me threatening if i don't pay the money i with held he will file with the courts to make me pay.

The agreement was a verbal one there are no documents showing any costs at all, not sure if he can even file if there is no back up on paper to show the costs.

Would be grateful if anyone could advise me on what approach i should take.

I'm renovating a house because i couldn't afford to buy one done up - i've been saving for years to be able to do this, the last thing i want to spend money on is a solicitor, but i don't see why i should pay someone for work they didn't finish, or i had to pay someone else to redo.

My DH works for an energy supplier and he thinks the gas man has illegally tampered with your gas meter. The only people authorised to remove a gas meter are the supplier you are currently with and your local Gas Distribution Network. If a Gas Safe registered engineer needs to do work on your home, all they have to do is turn the gas off at your ECV (emergency control valve). Gas meters are supposed to be secured to the fabric of the building via a bracket, which should have security seals to prevent "theft". The fact that this gas man had his own meter to replace it screams of a cowboy gas fitter. Call your energy supplier at that property and have them investigate as they will have the serial number of your gas meter and should be able to trace the one he installed to wherever it was stolen from. Even Gas Safe Registered engineers don't carry spare gas meters because they aren't even owned by the energy supplier most of the time. They are rented by the supplier and you pay that rent in the form of a standing charge.

Thank you for replying and i think your DH is right about my gas man removing the meter.

My energy company knew the meter was stolen the day i did and so did the police. Neither of them wanted to investigate though.

The illegal meter was removed within 24 hours of me finding out it was there, so have no serial number for it either.

It's the Debt Management company i need help to sort out - i've paid other workmen to finish both jobs and have receipts to show what it cost.

On the surface,
If the meter was stolen did the first gas fitter not do the job? It sounds like he did a temp work around.
The extra costs are due to the meter being stolen, not him.
The tiles are a different matter, did he not grout them when the adhesive dried or has he grouted and it wash out?

Would be grateful if anyone could advise me on what approach i should take.

Ask him if his tax payments are up to date.

If he does take you to court then you have an option to defend yourself and to put in a counter claim for the costs you have incurred rectifying his poor workmanship and possible illegal actions.

Ignore the debt collector and send a solicitors letter directly to him stating that if he takes you to court you will pursue costs from him.

(Assuming you're in England or Wales)

Write to the debt collector and give your side of the story.

If the amount he's chasing is under £10,000, if it goes to court then it will be a small claim. He (or his solicitor) should write a formal Letter Before Claim before he does go to court, but if he hasn't got a solicitor he may well not know he has to do this. You will be allowed to reply with your case to that. If he then does go to court, you will have 14 days to put in a defence, and possibly a counterclaim, and the matter will be heard by a judge in due course.

You can do all this yourself without a solicitor.

Thank you for the replies, and TalbotAMan i've replied to the Debt Collector today, and confirmed we had a verbal agreement only, and i have receipts for the work i've had done to rectify the gas mans. Have also said i'll file a counterclaim if it goes that far.

I did think of paying a solicitor to reply, but am worried i'd just be inflaming the situation.