Make sure they have liability insrance and a perma...

2008-07-24T08:25:00.000Z

Make sure they have liability insrance and a permanent premises before hiring anyone to do work for you. Beware of 'mobile phone' merchants who dont have a permanent landline.

A very sad story!

2008-07-24T08:23:00.000Z

A very sad story!

I am a 65 year old disabled woman. I bought a ret...

2008-07-23T17:54:00.000Z

I am a 65 year old disabled woman. I bought a retirement flat in Brighton for £97,000 early this year. There was nothing radically wrong with the flat it was simply “tired” it needed a face lift so I set aside £20,000 to refurbish. I sent the following email to local builders in the yellow pages
“I’m looking for a builder. Completion date for a one bedroom flat I’m buying in ** Street will probably be 17th March.
The flat requires complete refurbishing. It needs rewiring and a new kitchen; the bathroom converted to a new shower (not a wet room) room and fitted wardrobes with drawers in the bedroom. I will apply for a grant for updating the storage heating. Lastly, the flat will also need complete redecorating and blinds fitted to all windows. I am hoping to commence work immediately after completion.
I am retiring to Brighton from Shropshire. My phone number is ****. If you are interested in this job will you please contact me?
I was inundated with builders some of whom had not been invited contacted me and I selected Danny *** who “operated” under the name *** who said he would subcontract to registered and qualified tradesmen where he could not provide the services I needed. His main accreditation was that he could start almost immediately.
*** is a conman who seems to have no building or even tiling skills or experience. The following link shows the skills he fraudulently claims to have possessed http://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAction.do?ssm=0&scrambleSeed=69776796&keywords=tilers&companyName=d+h+tiling&location=sompting+lancing+sussex&M=0&x=27&y=8
This man is still touting for business. He took me for almost £30,000 and wanted even more money from me. When I came to Brighton I discovered my flat had been vandalised. Following is an extract from the report written by the plumber who is rectifying ***s “work”
Assessment of plumbing work carried out at *** Brighton.
“The basic design of the shower room is impracticable and ill thought out e.g., Connecting a shower waste pipe to a horizontal soil pipe could lead to back flow, resulting in waste from the soil pipe washing up into the shower tray, The copper pipes that have been installed are not secured/clipped into position, Two of the copper pipes which I assume were laid for the intention of connecting to a Wash basin or radiator were actually bent and forced into position down and behind the soil stack with out using pipe benders(bad practice),Where copper pipes are not secured/clipped on installation can and will lead to movement of the of the pipes when in use, resulting in unnecessary noise in the system and also putting strain on any soldered joints causing them to weaken and leak. On inspection of the soldered fittings I noticed dark burnt areas indicating that too much heat had been applied, when solder is over heated/burnt it becomes brittle and the solder seal fails, also where pipe work had been run through a stud wall the wall had not been neatly drilled though but smashed through with a hammer or other blunt tool. The quality of the workmanship on the pipe work laid is so appalling I suggest they be removed and re-laid. As to some of the other pipe work laid out in the shower room, it was not obvious to me on inspection of its intended use? The shower tray had been hacked away to allow for the shower waste and hot and cold feed pipes access, has been cut in an inappropriate position which is unsightly and once again bad practice. The shower cubical was not fixed to the wall and the levelling of the shower tray is slightly out, the shower trap was also loose and not sealed. At the top of the shower cubical the two horizontal struts do not align. Electrical bonding wire from the old appliances are left lying around the floor (these could have been live) once again bad practice. Floor tiles were also unevenly laid and wall tiles were not designed to Mrs *** request.
In addition to the £30,000 purloined by *** I now have to pay another £7,000 for repairs to his vandalisations. He has made me homeless and penniless.

I have a solicitor and together with Trading Standard i am going to take this man to task..

Comments on Bruce Greig - 0800handyman: Cowboy builders

Make sure they have liability insrance and a perma...

A very sad story!

I am a 65 year old disabled woman. I bought a ret...