Ripped off by Tradesman?

[benm3evo]

Hi all,

After a bit of advice on behalf of a friend please. Will try & keep it as brief as possible.

Friend (Chris) in question had the guttering cleared out on his house a while back, paid £180 for this bloke (we'll call him 'Dave' as we only know his first name)

Chris mentioned he wanted a conifer cut down at some point but he couldn't afford it at the time.

Fast forward about 6 months, Dave came round & took this conifer (about 30 feet I'd say) down to half height as Chris wanted. He also noticed "a few" roof tiles needed replacing, as well as some cementing around the edge of the roof (sorry, don't know the technical term).

All the above work has been done. 2 men, 2 hours on one day, then back the next for another 2 hours another day.

Now the bill, £1700.

I know nothing about this type of work, but common sense says this is a bit steep. I've mentioned it to a few other people & they agree.

So, I'm after some advise whether anything could be done about this. Firstly, I could do with some confirmation it is a rip off!? Secondly, are there any official routes that can be taken? Or is it hard luck.

I've kept it as brief as possible but a few more bits of info. Chris is not the most streetwise of people. He also doesn't have any receipt for the £1700, never mind Dave's full name, number etc so that could be another story.

Thanks,
Ben

[TooMany2cvs]

benm3evo said:

Now the bill, £1700.

How much was he quoted beforehand?

TBH, £180 for clearing gutters is taking the Michael anyway. Ten minutes up a ladder to scoop a handful of glop out? Or was there more to it than that? It's not my favourite job in the world, but...

benm3evo said:

He also doesn't have any receipt for the £1700, never mind Dave's full name, number etc so that could be another story.

So, basically, he's got absolutely no evidence to back his side up? If he ever finds this guy again, "Dave" may well just shrug and say "Sorry, mate, I've no idea what you're talking about"?

Chalk it up to a learning experience, I think.

[benm3evo]

How much was he quoted beforehand?


He didn't get a quote beforehand. First they talked about money was when he was being given a lift to the bank. I know, this is hard to believe!


So, basically, he's got absolutely no evidence to back his side up? If he ever finds this guy again, "Dave" may well just shrug and say "Sorry, mate, I've no idea what you're talking about"?


Yep, that was my first thought.


Oh & sorry, it appears I don't know how to use the quotes on here!!

[Mojooo]

Was the £1700 agreed before the work started or agreed as it went along? If so then he is contractually bound.

If no price was agreed then it has to be a reasonable price

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1982/29

section 15

[JM]

Has the £1700 been payed?

[benm3evo]

JM said:

Has the £1700 been payed?

Yes, in cash, no receipt.

And no quote was discussed before. This is obviously my mate's fault for being incredibly (insert one of many words here)

[anonymous-user]

Got a feeling your mate will have to put this down as a learning experience.

[Ki3r]

Contact trading standards as well though. It does help build a bigger picture if it's something they do often.

[photosnob]

Ki3r said:

Contact trading standards as well though. It does help build a bigger picture if it's something they do often.

With a first name and no contact details?

I'm sure trading standards will be fascinated.

[CorvetteConvert]

No receipt; plus cash paid; equals forget all about it, he is wasting his time and effort and money chasing it.
A lesson learned.

[Hamish Finn]

CorvetteConvert said:

No receipt; plus cash paid;

With a story like this, you can understand why it's the OP's "friend".

[benm3evo]

CorvetteConvert said:

No receipt; plus cash paid; equals forget all about it, he is wasting his time and effort and money chasing it.
A lesson learned.

Yeah, this was what I thought would be the most likely result.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll just try & make sure he doesn't get taken advantage of again as I have a feeling 'Dave' might be back at some point.

Cheers, Ben

[Chrisgr31]

I wonder if it is worth calling the police on 101 or emailing your local force. You may not have many details but if they can get any details it might help them add to investigations they are already making. This is the sort of thing that makes the media occasionally so worth following up.

[Bigends]

Chrisgr31 said:

I wonder if it is worth calling the police on 101 or emailing your local force. You may not have many details but if they can get any details it might help them add to investigations they are already making. This is the sort of thing that makes the media occasionally so worth following up.

Doubt theyd be interested - let trading standards know - theyll be the ones building any cases against this lot and are best placed to do

[Andy Allenton]

Does your mate want anything else done??? http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/imgs/12.gif

[rambo19]

FFS, how stupid can people be.....

[benm3evo]

Andy Allenton said:

Does your mate want anything else done??? http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/imgs/12.gif

Yeah, he needs his head looked at!

He's got 'issues'. Technical term, he's not all there. I put a thread on Health Matters a while back for advice regarding him. He's 54, on various medication, doesn't have any family & only has me & my other mate looking out for him. He's VERY easily led/persuaded into things & that's what's happened here.

Bit more info, in between having the guttering done 6 months or so ago & now this 'Dave' chap had been back more than 10 times, all uninvited. The first time Chris had literally run out of money so said he can't have the work done. Dave was quite pushy & Chris was intimidated, although he won't admit it.

Cutting another long story very short, Chris bumped into Dave & stupidly opened his mouth to say he's received a Pension lump sum. This immediately led to the many other visits. Chris has literally hid while Dave has banged the door & windows & shouted through the letter box about having this work done. He finally got caught out the other day when Dave sent his mate to the door.

From what I understand, Chris has been intimidated & is worried what would happen if he said no or argued about the bill.

I know it's hard to believe & I have come close to throttling him myself but those are the facts of the matter, albeit as brief as I can be without writing an essay & sending everyone to sleep!

I would hate to think this is happening to other people which is why I posted on here to see if there is anything that might be able to be done. Admittedly I doubted it as we have so little details of the gentleman involved.

Cheers,
Ben

[PorkInsider]

Having read your last post, I would contact the police.

It sounds like it's going beyond your mate being a bit gullible and veering towards him being a victim of crime.

I'm sure the police would at least offer some advice.

[photosnob]

benm3evo said:

Yeah, he needs his head looked at!

He's got 'issues'. Technical term, he's not all there. I put a thread on Health Matters a while back for advice regarding him. He's 54, on various medication, doesn't have any family & only has me & my other mate looking out for him. He's VERY easily led/persuaded into things & that's what's happened here.

Bit more info, in between having the guttering done 6 months or so ago & now this 'Dave' chap had been back more than 10 times, all uninvited. The first time Chris had literally run out of money so said he can't have the work done. Dave was quite pushy & Chris was intimidated, although he won't admit it.

Cutting another long story very short, Chris bumped into Dave & stupidly opened his mouth to say he's received a Pension lump sum. This immediately led to the many other visits. Chris has literally hid while Dave has banged the door & windows & shouted through the letter box about having this work done. He finally got caught out the other day when Dave sent his mate to the door.

From what I understand, Chris has been intimidated & is worried what would happen if he said no or argued about the bill.

I know it's hard to believe & I have come close to throttling him myself but those are the facts of the matter, albeit as brief as I can be without writing an essay & sending everyone to sleep!

I would hate to think this is happening to other people which is why I posted on here to see if there is anything that might be able to be done. Admittedly I doubted it as we have so little details of the gentleman involved.

Cheers,
Ben

If a vulnerable person is being hassled you should go to the Police station and ask if they can help. There is not a lot they can do from what I can see. But contrary to what a lot of people on here will say, most police officers are good people and will not like to see someone taken advantage off if they can help it. People who prey on people who have problems are scum and I'd happily cause them physical damage.

[benm3evo]

I probably should have included more info in my original post so apologies for that.

I'll give Chris a call tomorrow & pass on the advice about having a word with the Police, hopefully they can offer some advice as said.

Thanks,
Ben