Ripped off by SF user

[willman]

Not seriously but still fraudulently - requested deposit up front for some rubbish removal before starting building work.

Removal never arrived and neither did the builder.

Two weeks ago they offered to repay the money but it never appeared.

This week i start with plans to get the money back and have them prosecuted -

it will mean contacting SF for their personal details probably.

 

But we'll see what potential there mobile number and bank account details have for the police on Monday.

[lottiecass]

Never ever pay anything before work is finished to your spec.I have never asked for money up front for materials and never would,nor would any contractor thats the real deal.I hope you get your money back.

[AnthonyTapp]

Never ever pay anything before work is finished to your spec.I have never asked for money up front for materials and never would,nor would any contractor thats the real deal.I hope you get your money back.

 

Why ?

I'm a small 1 man band who asks for deposit on materials over a certain amount and I'm the real deal as you put it

I've been ripped off by customers not paying for months afterwards dispite saying they are 100% happy and will pay that day/end of week ,

I can't afford to have hundreds if not thousands of pounds tired up in 1 job waiting to be paid ,at the end of the day it works both ways about being ripped off there are dodgy customers who want great work done for nothing ,like there are dodgy builders

Trust your gut at the end of the day get multiple quotes and go with who you feel most comfortable with

 

At the end of the day a builder has bills to pay just like you ,be it a small builder like me or a mid size company that has wages and other stuff that I don't on top ,banks wont give us open ended over drafts like they used to ,we suffer to this sort of comment isn't helpful to the small guy

Edited October 29, 2017 by AnthonyTapp

[peak4]

Whenever you do get the rubbish removed, just ensure the contractor can give you a waste transfer note; that way you should be covered if it ends up being fly-tipped somewhere.

[Vaati]

The suggestion of naming and shaming, along with posts quoting the suggestion, have been removed.

 

It is not allowed and you can find an indepth reason as to why: https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1526428 - post 5 by Medusa.

[hotrock]

I have found the Forum very hit and miss with tradesmen, whilst i have had some very, very good work carried out by a decorator, Electrician and a Joiner who were all very highly recommended. i did fall foul to a user who did lawnmower servicing, he eventually ran off with over £400 worth of goods including petrol hedge trimmers and a portable generator, i have saved all the private messages (forum and facebook) for future reference should he ever reappear, i know of other users who also lost goods to him.

He will surface again, and i will seek to get recourse one way or another

[joojoo]

I agree with AnthonyTapp. My husband was a small builder and often needed to ask for a deposit to cover some of the cost of materials especially in the 70s and 80s when he had a small family to support. Banks have never been keen on lending to the self employed. Also if people were not prepared to trust him why should he trust them to pay him on completion.

 

By the way I don't know AnthonyTapp.

[allover]

I have been seriously ripped off by a forum user who applied for a job i wanted doing, a tradesman who had served there apprenticeship a skilled man (Electrician) i advertised for, the people who answered the advert who assured me that they where fully skilled turned out to be no more than odd job men, and they made a right mess of there work, i had to employ another trades man to do the job again, needless to say i will be taking them to court, i do know one of there addressers,

 

And yes they came well recommended off the forum, i may be right or wrong but i have a suspicion that they recommend themselves, my apologise to the honest tradesmen who advertise on forums such as these, but its these cowboys who get you a bad name, the Electrician who re did the job was furious that people can do such dangerous work as they did, he wanted to report them himself.

 

And now i have posted that, i will be making some recommendation's about tradesmen who advertising on S/F.

[Guest makapaka]

Just buy the materials yourself rather than give the money to a builder to if they can’t fund it.

[willman]

I eventually got a bricklayer from My Builder and would happily recommend him.

All i can say is that any pm offers for general building,roofing or demolition on here should be ignored.

 

If tradesman are happy to put there name on a post in reply to a job vacancy, that would be my preference next time.

 

btw i have used other tradesmen - 1 kitchen fitter, 1 joiner and even Anthony Tapp himself prior to this with nothing but positive outcomes.