it will be worthwhile negotiating a big discount, as if you never try, you will never know they want cash .... and they have already had a cheque cancelled .... she could state that she paid the £1000 cheque as she thought the job was well done, but someone who visited said that the work was poor/shoody, hence the cancellation of the cheque if she is firm and states that she will pay once trading standards have been notified and have sent out an expert to evaluate the job, and if trading standards agree that the job has been properly done, she will pay the full amount alternatively, if trading standards say the work is shoddy, she can invite them to rectify the problems and will be paid the full £1000 once the problems have been sorted she may end up paying £600-£700, but saying that, she will have to end up paying something (she cannot refuse to pay at all .... that is where the problems will arise)
I feel for you and your sister Ziggy. I'd do as Marley said and talk from a top floor window also you could try and barter, start low though, and chalk it up to experience. :OUCH: But you could note down vehicle reg's, and take some video footage if you can, have it set up before hand near the front door, this makes it a bit hard to deny in a court, or to a copper should it come to it. I once tried to warn a bunch of travellers (who were speeding down a country lane towards me) about a load of tractors pulling out around the corner, I had to drive the car into a farmers gateway to avoid collision with them, only for them to get all funny about it, and try to follow me for ages, I say try to follow me. I know how to drive fast, and I can certainly loose a few traffic coppers if I have to :D And since when does waving someone down look like giving the four knuckle shuffle ? !
Cheers people, She is going to negotiate, also get an independant person round to look at the work. The police said Trading Standards might be more hassle than its worth. Upstairs window sounds good, but its a bungalow:( The materials I would estimate at £200 tops, and if that had already been paid for by the "other" job then it would be a bonus to pass it on. The labour therefore would work out at £100 per hour, per operative. Now I do specialist work, but even I would be hard pressed to justify that sort of rate.
There have been some of them round here in the past & £1000 seems to be the going rate for them around here too.. Well whatever you do make sure you have your phone to hand & camera if they come around & get stropy..
Ziggy, sorry to be the one to take a hard line, but I'd put it back on them. Tell them not only is the job substandard, but you now believe the drive is worse than it was before they started. Tell them as a good will gesture for the effort that they put in, you'll cover the cost of materials so they are not out of pocket. Tell them if they are not satisfied with that then, then it is their legal right to make a claim for the money through the courts, and you will of course not obstruct them in any way if they do, and you will of course honour any decision reached by the court. I think I'd also be asking for an invoice of company stationary. Any businessman will know that if you're a sole trader, the company stationary has to have the proprietor's name and registered company address on it, and a limited company's stationary has to have the company registration number and head office address on, and VAT number if they are VAT registered. Any businessman will also know that there are things far more scary than big lads, scarier still than coppers and courts. The scariest thing to a businessman is HMRC, and as soon as you talk to them about legal process and proper invoices, if they have ANY reason to not want too much attention, they will run a mile.
That's not a nice situation for your sister Ziggy, try and be there when they call back to support your sister. They sound like a nasty bunch but they always pick on households where they think they can intimidate, practice your fierce face.
Tell your sis to call in Vanessa Redgrave. I'm sure she'll negotiate a settlement in minutes now that she's finished over at Dale Farm. (Years ago, Private Eye gave away a card you could carry in case of emergency. It stated that if you were unlucky enough to be involved in some catastrophe, you didn't wish to be visited by Margaret Thatcher, bellowing at you in that scary 'sympathetic' voice. I should like a 'Vanessa' version. )
Ziggy, Practice the Evil Owl technique, then advice your sister, you want burried under the new tarmac No sorry it is no joke These people are hardly going to accept a court decission they want cash now or destruction I find it hard to believe that your sister (having such a worldly wise brother would have entered such a contract without checking with you first) She should have asked you for a recommendation being close in the trade sort of speak No not Pikie construction :-) Did the police not say jobs done agree a fair price My friends on tother website could all come down, but the pikies might nick all the aluminium zimmers They are evil Barstewards and thrive on intimidation I think the only way out is to try to negotiate a price and put it down to Pikie experience and take the hit Sorry Jack McHammocklashing Honestly IF I was closer to you, I would take up residence in the caravan to be on call when they arrived as support for you
