(I posted this on other subjects, but maybe it belongs here)
I went thru an advert in my local paper for a back garden fence of 6ft panels. 2 Irish guys came to do the job on the morning of St Patrick's day and now I realise they couldn't wait to get down the pub (they did mention it was St Paddy's Day) but they seemed charming enough ...... They finished the job when I was out shopping and I came back to find my Ex-H had already paid them in full for an unbelievable shoddy job (don't get me started on Ex-H - I could scream). All the fence posts are moving and creaking in the wind, the fence line is crooked and running in a slight crescent shape! They cut every corner possible with materials etc and we've lost part of our boundary!
Since then I keep making appts with fencers to see/rectify job but they make appts and then don't show. In the last two calls the phone has been put down on me. Spoke to Consumer Direct and they said I need the fencers address to write them a standard breach of contract letter. But I only have their mobile and landline from the ad in local paper and the paper can't give their address because of data protection. But the paper said they would stop carrying the ad if trading standards/consumer direct get involved.
If I can't get my money back or job rectified then I'd rather hit their advertising. Also I might get a friend to get a bogus quote for some work and see if they can get their address somehow. If that doesn't work then I will ask them directly for their address but they are sure to say no or give a false one and I could lose their trail if they get suspicious and change their name and number. Their firm doesn't google or come up with directory enquiries etc so they probably change it often if they are cowboys. Does anyone have any other ideas about anything else I can do to sort out these traders? Thanks.