johnhenstock83 Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 happy new year! I was wondering if someone can share some advice around dealing with a builder that seems to have blocked my number out of nowhere. we have a contract with this builder to build an extension shell, which he did. the skylights couldn't be installed due to a boiler flue, but are included in the price and in the contract, there's no doubt about it. we wished each other merry christmas (this was weeks after the shell was finished) and agreed that I'll be in touch in the new year to agree a date for the skylights. I tried contacting him last week, turns out he blocked my number (whatsapp too). I dropped a note through his letterbox asking him to give me a call when he has time, nothing. first, there's the issue of the skylights, which I will need installed, I paid for that. would an official letter reminding him of his contractual obligations be a wise first move? I'm prepared to go all the way if need be, the contract is with him as a sole trader, so his house and vehicles are on the line. second, the warranty. unfortunately, he hasn't finished the roof off properly and it's already leaking in several places. slowly, but surely. if he's not even bothered to fulfil his contract, what can I expect when things go wrong further down the line? should I mention the roof in the same letter or should I treat these as separate issues? any advice is welcome. PS: I don't know what's going on, but we've been trying to get another builder. ghosting is the norm of the day, no one seems to care or be serious anymore. where does one find a builder that actually builds things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Start with a letter registered post to his address with a copy of the contract, stating that he has contracted to complete the works and the following items are outstanding (roof windows etc) and that there are leaks appearing in the existing roof. These things may be linked but you’re not the expert ! Give him 14 days from the date of delivery to contact you to resolve the matter, or you will be looking to have the work completed and costs passed to him. If he doesn’t reply then go to solicitors letter, then to small claims. What type of contract did you use out of interest as some have resolution clauses for dispute in them (JCT for example) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Please tell us you have not paid his full price in advance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhenstock83 Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 15 minutes ago, PeterW said: Start with a letter registered post to his address with a copy of the contract, stating that he has contracted to complete the works and the following items are outstanding (roof windows etc) and that there are leaks appearing in the existing roof. These things may be linked but you’re not the expert ! Give him 14 days from the date of delivery to contact you to resolve the matter, or you will be looking to have the work completed and costs passed to him. If he doesn’t reply then go to solicitors letter, then to small claims. What type of contract did you use out of interest as some have resolution clauses for dispute in them (JCT for example) A very simple contract most likely drafted by the builder stating our details (names, addresses, contact details), the scope and spec of the works along with information on warranties. attached was also a copy of his insurance documents. builder found on trustatrader, good reviews, stuck to the timeline and came across as serious. until the works started, where we had a few hiccups, but nothing extremely worrying. 5 minutes ago, ProDave said: Please tell us you have not paid his full price in advance? no, it was 4 equal payments, including a deposit. when the roof was finished, I paid the final instalment, on mutual agreement that he'll come back to install the skylights at a date that suits me. I have this specified in the contract, along with a written acknowledgment (text) from him, AFTER the final payment was made, that he'll return to install them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 6 minutes ago, johnhenstock83 said: I paid the final instalment, on mutual agreement that he'll come back to install the skylights at a date that suits me Sadly that was a mistake. He would be more interested in talking to you if you still owed him money. Go round to his house and knock on the door? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 6 minutes ago, ProDave said: Sadly that was a mistake. He would be more interested in talking to you if you still owed him money. Go round to his house and knock on the door? To late for you But any builder or trade wanting to be paid in full Or brought up to date before the job is finished Should set alarm bells ringing Going round to his home or office is your best option Any solicitors letters you send will get the same attention as all the others he already has Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhenstock83 Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 7 minutes ago, nod said: To late for you But any builder or trade wanting to be paid in full Or brought up to date before the job is finished Should set alarm bells ringing Going round to his home or office is your best option Any solicitors letters you send will get the same attention as all the others he already has It didn't ring any alarms because there was a very good reason for the skylights not to be installed at the time, otherwise he'd have done them. not defending the builder or anything, I think he's very unprofessional for ghosting customers with which he had good engagement, but he did do things when he said he would do them and he stuck to the price. since it was us who weren't exactly sure when the boiler would be moved, we didn't want to withhold payment for months. getting those skylights installed won't cost a fortune, hence it didn't cross my mind he would ghost us for... £200? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 What contact details do you have for the builder? is is just a mobile phone? I only ask, because since mid December I have lost my mobile signal at home and customers have been having a hard job contacting me if they don't know my landline. (In my case I am preparing to change mobile provider as the present provider has spectacularly failed to fix the issue) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhenstock83 Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 1 minute ago, ProDave said: What contact details do you have for the builder? is is just a mobile phone? I only ask, because since mid December I have lost my mobile signal at home and customers have been having a hard job contacting me if they don't know my landline. (In my case I am preparing to change mobile provider as the present provider has spectacularly failed to fix the issue) Full details (full name, full address, phone number). I know it's not that because I tried calling at different time of day, doesn't make any difference. it simply doesn't connect, the typical sign that a number is blocked. I texted as well. I also messaged him on whatsapp, it shows as undelivered. I'll send him a more official letter as advised above, if he doesn't respond in 14 days, I'll have the works rectified by someone else and take him to a small claims court. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 1 minute ago, johnhenstock83 said: Full details (full name, full address, phone number). I know it's not that because I tried calling at different time of day, doesn't make any difference. it simply doesn't connect, the typical sign that a number is blocked. I texted as well. I also messaged him on whatsapp, it shows as undelivered. If you tried that with me at the moment while I was at home you would get the same. SMS messages don't seem to queue up like say emails, so if I drive into town and get a phone signal, only recent messages are there, older ones are lost. He may have lost or broken his phone. So try landline or physically knock on his door. Try phoning his mobile from a number he does not know to test your "blocked" number theory. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDC Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 I agree with the advice to go and see your builder. Otherwise you can only assume what's going on with him. At the same time, I would get quotes for the repairs and the skylight, so you'll know you can have the work done by someone else. The last thing you want is to arrange for a second builder to finish off the job and then the first one pops up having got passed whatever it is that's caused the delay. You'll possibly do better down the legal route, if you have spoken to him directly first. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 1 hour ago, johnhenstock83 said: It didn't ring any alarms because there was a very good reason for the skylights not to be installed at the time, otherwise he'd have done them. not defending the builder or anything, I think he's very unprofessional for ghosting customers with which he had good engagement, but he did do things when he said he would do them and he stuck to the price. since it was us who weren't exactly sure when the boiler would be moved, we didn't want to withhold payment for months. getting those skylights installed won't cost a fortune, hence it didn't cross my mind he would ghost us for... £200? For £200 I would put it down to experience and get someone else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temp Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 If it was a simple phone issue he would be contacting you to let you know. Write to him signed for and keep copy. Be careful what you write about him online until this is resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhenstock83 Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 Quick update: I dropped by his house. Car in the front, lights on, some movement inside, but no one answered the door (knocked, rang the bell, before one of you says he didn't hear me). My number is definitely blocked, it simply doesn't connect, whatsapp does the same and that's over wifi. Unfortunately the moving on issues is easier said than done, the sector is paralised. No one is interested in small jobs anymore and whatever builders I can get to drop by to provide a quote never get in touch. I'll wait until Monday, if I don't get a reply, I'll go down the official route and take him to small claims. Regarding the amount I can claim back, is it a case of getting several quotes, let's say three, and claiming the average? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDC Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 26 minutes ago, johnhenstock83 said: Quick update: I dropped by his house. Car in the front, lights on, some movement inside, but no one answered the door (knocked, rang the bell, before one of you says he didn't hear me). My number is definitely blocked, it simply doesn't connect, whatsapp does the same and that's over wifi. Unfortunately the moving on issues is easier said than done, the sector is paralised. No one is interested in small jobs anymore and whatever builders I can get to drop by to provide a quote never get in touch. I'll wait until Monday, if I don't get a reply, I'll go down the official route and take him to small claims. Regarding the amount I can claim back, is it a case of getting several quotes, let's say three, and claiming the average? It's about having the work done and presenting an actual paid invoice to the Court [I think]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbeard Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 As @ProDavesaid, try ringing from a number he will not recognise. If he puts the phone down when he realises it's you then you have a pretty good idea of where the land lies, but it *may* be that you have time to explain that you want to resolve this in a way that works for both of you. Worth a try... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonner Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 48 minutes ago, Redbeard said: As @ProDavesaid, try ringing from a number he will not recognise. If he puts the phone down when he realises it's you then you have a pretty good idea of where the land lies, but it *may* be that you have time to explain that you want to resolve this in a way that works for both of you. Worth a try... Yep, you should try another phone. I had to do this a couple of times with a few trades. Puts them on the back foot but reaction varied from apologies to blatant lies. As others say, at least you know if it’s a communication issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnhenstock83 Posted January 24, 2023 Author Share Posted January 24, 2023 Update: he was on holiday for a month and a half 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry Posted January 24, 2023 Share Posted January 24, 2023 Oh wow! Shame he didn't mention it!! Has he fixed it then?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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