Driveways & Paving

Landscaper paid but not completed essential remedial work

Anonymous user 15/03/2024 - 2.47 PM

A landscaper completed a patio build in my sloping back garden in late 2018. We had to amend the design (for which I had to pay more) as they were going to make the patio far too high so I asked them to lower one side i.e. not put so much filler in - otherwise I'd have been towering over my neighbour. The finished job looked good and I paid them nearly £10,000. However over the course of the next year the sleepers moved a lot, the slabs sequentially came loose and the steps to the lower area became increasingly dangerous. I wasn't able to erect my summerhouse on the patio as planned so couldn't really use it the first year. THe landscapers took a while to respond to concerns but did eventually come back in 2019 and agreed it need repair. They built a breeze-block wall to hold back the original sleepers and relaid the slabs and steps. No further movement noticed so I think that did the trick. However, they've not finished. They still have to re-grout the slabs and finish off the top of the wall (the messily cut off sleepers can still be see along with the rubble they put in to help them back). I've been trying to get them back for many months now but getting no reply to calls and texts. I've no idea if they are even still trading though the phone number is still being advertised. I've offered (by unanswered text) to get someone else to do it and bill them if they're busy. But no reply. This was an expensive job for me and I've still not got a usable patio after nearly 2 years to I'm getting a bit fed up. Any advice guys?

Samurai Tree Care

Rating: 5 out of 5

5/52 reviews

Lairg

Dear Doreen. Your tale sounds like Many hitting home owner's hard at the moment. that is cowboys & rogues making clients life's hard. It is getting increasingly harder these day to distinguish good tradesmen with such a variety of companies and likes of unqualified handy men who can be a 50/50 gamble. Even a company that looks the part, talks the part and has paperwork can still be a criminal. Unfortunately it sounds very much like you have been ripped off, once payment is made its unlikely you will here back from these guys. Unless you have paperwork quotations and price listings you have very little evidence in a court case. I would do your research, build a case and contact trading standards, threats probably won't work, and you don't want a 2nd tradesmen giving you more stress because your waiting for the 1st to pay his bill. Unfortunately 80% of people end up paying for rectification works because there is very little success in client Vs contractor cases. I would be looking to contact rogue traders and using this leverage against them. Sorry to hear your despair, I hope this information helps.

Answered20 May 2019

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VIC ICHIM

Rating: 4.9 out of 5

4.9/561 reviews

Fulham, South London, London

I’m a trade and i found out that these days you get what you’ll pay! A lot of cowboys builders on market ! Check the trades knowledges before to commence the job and also ask for references ! The prices gone up a lot lately and for trades is very hard to raise the prices being to many cowboys that are working cheap to survive the clients are choosing lately to pay less for jobs and they end up like this !!!

Answered7 June 2019

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