Dodgy builders?
Sion Arrowsmith
they're doing it, but they keep on asking for up-front cash
payments as they progress. This is obviously a little bit
dubious, but is it a fairly standard bit if dodgy practice or
are we being unduly taken for a ride?
--
\S -- si...@chiark.greenend.org.uk -- http://www.chaos.org.uk/~sion/
___ | "Frankly I have no feelings towards penguins one way or the other"
\X/ | -- Arthur C. Clarke
her nu becomeþ se bera eadward ofdun hlæddre heafdes bæce bump bump bump
tony sayer
<si...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> writes
>We finally found a roofer who's actually look at the job, and
>they're doing it, but they keep on asking for up-front cash
>payments as they progress. This is obviously a little bit
>dubious, but is it a fairly standard bit if dodgy practice or
>are we being unduly taken for a ride?
>
Well staged payments are quite common in the building trade, so that in
itself is not unusual. Perhaps in Cambridge you should be lucky that
someone has turned up and is actually doing the job!.
Care to name who it is?..
--
Tony Sayer
Steve Slatcher
> We finally found a roofer who's actually look at the job, and
> they're doing it, but they keep on asking for up-front cash
> payments as they progress. This is obviously a little bit
> dubious, but is it a fairly standard bit if dodgy practice or
> are we being unduly taken for a ride?
What was agreed in your contract? I would refude (and indeed did refuse on
one occasion) to sign a contract for building work that did not allow me to
hold back a substantial proportion of the total until ALL the work is
complete. OTOH I don't think it is unusual or unreasonable to make interim
payments for materials used.
Paul Rudin
AW> The entity currently known as Steve Slatcher wrote:
>> OTOH I don't think it is unusual or unreasonable to make interim
>> payments for materials used.
AW> Indeed; But demanding _cash_only_?
Tax evasion?
--
The Osmonds! You are all Osmonds!! Throwing up on a freeway at dawn!!!
Steve Slatcher
> The entity currently known as Steve Slatcher wrote:
>
>> payments for materials used.
>
Means of payment is another thing usually convered in the contract. I was
also a bit surprised by the "up-front" bit. In the past I have paid *on
delivery* of materials.
If cash-only is being mentioned, I wonder if any traceable documents exist
at all.....?
The Natural Philosopher
> We finally found a roofer who's actually look at the job, and
> they're doing it, but they keep on asking for up-front cash
> payments as they progress. This is obviously a little bit
> dubious, but is it a fairly standard bit if dodgy practice or
> are we being unduly taken for a ride?
>
>
Make sure that you hold back at least 15% until the job is complete, and
manifestly doesn't leak.
Thanks for the cooker by the way..
The Natural Philosopher
> The entity currently known as Steve Slatcher wrote:
>
>
>>OTOH I don't think it is unusual or unreasonable to make interim
>>payments for materials used.
>>
>
> Indeed; But demanding _cash_only_?
>
No vat, no tax.
So you get it 15% cheaper.
And they make an extra 2.5%.
>
Sion Arrowsmith
>In article <tbF*N4...@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>, Sion Arrowsmith
><si...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> writes
>>We finally found a roofer who's actually look at the job, and
>>they're doing it, but they keep on asking for up-front cash
>>payments as they progress.
>Care to name who it is?..
Now they've finally finished and got the scaffolding down,
more than a month after starting a "three or four day" job,
yes.
Regal Roofing. (Working in conjunction with Abba Roofing, so
you might want to watch out for them too.) Honking great -
for the FAQ. Do not touch with the proverbial bargepole.
Maybe technically adequate, but completely lacking in any
kind of professional ethics, from the repeated demands for
cash up front, to the growing estimate, to the lies about
how many more advance payments would be required, to the
scenes of devestation left behind.
Naich
> Regal Roofing. (Working in conjunction with Abba Roofing, so
> you might want to watch out for them too.) Honking great -
> for the FAQ. Do not touch with the proverbial bargepole.
If they are anything to do with Abba Roofing you can give them a - from me
too. Nasty people who conned the little old lady next door to us in
Sturton Street to have unnecessary work done. They seemed to be
connected[1] with a charming couple of blokes who pulled some weeds out of
our chimney stack without me asking them to, tried to charge me 40 quid
for it and called me a "4 eyed c**t" when I refused to pay.
[1] When the Abba lot saw me taking the registration number of their van,
one came over and told me that the two blokes were nothing to do with them
and had just borrowed their ladders. Which is possible, I suppose.
Naich.
--
http://thoday.maggenhoof.co.uk ... Improving our new dump.
http://www.veggiefoodguide.co.uk . Time for some nice food.
http://www.sodwork.com ........... Right. I've had enough.
http://burp.me.uk ................ Why did I buy this name?
Motto: The only evidence against evolution are its opponents.
The Natural Philosopher
> On 13 Jun 2003, Sion Arrowsmith wrote:
>
>
>>Regal Roofing. (Working in conjunction with Abba Roofing, so
>>you might want to watch out for them too.) Honking great -
>>for the FAQ. Do not touch with the proverbial bargepole.
>>
>
> If they are anything to do with Abba Roofing you can give them a - from me
> too. Nasty people who conned the little old lady next door to us in
> Sturton Street to have unnecessary work done. They seemed to be
> connected[1] with a charming couple of blokes who pulled some weeds out of
> our chimney stack without me asking them to, tried to charge me 40 quid
> for it and called me a "4 eyed c**t" when I refused to pay.
>
> [1] When the Abba lot saw me taking the registration number of their van,
> one came over and told me that the two blokes were nothing to do with them
> and had just borrowed their ladders. Which is possible, I suppose.
>
> Naich.
>
OTOH I haven't used em,. but Tanner and Hall always have had good peress
from those I know who have...
Mary Pegg
> On 13 Jun 2003, Sion Arrowsmith wrote:
>
>> Regal Roofing. (Working in conjunction with Abba Roofing, so
>> you might want to watch out for them too.) Honking great -
>> for the FAQ. Do not touch with the proverbial bargepole.
>
> If they are anything to do with Abba Roofing
Just in case there's any doubt about the nature of Abba roofing,
I append a post from four years ago.
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
From: Iain Gray (iain...@srl.cam.ac.uk)
Subject: Recommendations (or otherwise) for Roofers
Newsgroups: cam.misc
Date: 1999/01/19
Hi
Just a note for anyone thinking of having their roof re-slated in the
Cambridge area.
We contracted a roofer to take the old tiles off and put new on but all
he did was strip off the old slates from our roof and then bugger off
without finishing the job. These slates have a significant reclaim
value.
This has meant we have had to get another roofer in to do the work and
we are out of pocket by 750 quid.
The name of this firm is ABBA ROOFING SERVICES run by a man called JOE
WILKS (??sp??)
He is a definitely dodgy character and I would advise anyone not to use
him.
I hope this prevents him from ripping off a few more people.
Cheers
Iain
Duncan Wood
Never had them do a roof but they've been very good for everything else
I've had off them.
tony sayer
<free...@dmx512.co.uk> writes
Well there quite a large firm, as roofing goes, and have been around
for donkeys years, bit like Coulsons....
--
Tony Sayer
Simon Grimshaw
> tony sayer <to...@bancom.co.uk> wrote:
> >In article <tbF*N4...@news.chiark.greenend.org.uk>, Sion Arrowsmith
> ><si...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> writes
> >>We finally found a roofer who's actually look at the job, and
> >>they're doing it, but they keep on asking for up-front cash
> >>payments as they progress.
> > [ ... ]
> >Care to name who it is?..
>
> Now they've finally finished and got the scaffolding down,
> more than a month after starting a "three or four day" job,
> yes.
>
> Regal Roofing. (Working in conjunction with Abba Roofing, so
> you might want to watch out for them too.) Honking great -
> for the FAQ. Do not touch with the proverbial bargepole.
> Maybe technically adequate, but completely lacking in any
> kind of professional ethics, from the repeated demands for
> cash up front, to the growing estimate, to the lies about
> how many more advance payments would be required, to the
> scenes of devestation left behind.
And while we're on the subject, I just had my roof reslated by Alpha
Roofing. They were... errr, ok, neither a plus nor minus. Reasonable
quote, started work when they said they would and only took a couple
of days longer than intended. They did leave the scaffolding up for
an extra week after they'd finished, which was annoying but nothing
more than that. Job looked fine too, but now I'm having some work
done by Charles Lee who took one look and asked, "Who put up your
roof?" Told him, he replied, "Yeah, figures," then pointed out a
number of things that could have been done better (battens poking out
through the mortaring, the mortaring is messily done, slates overhang
a bit too far on one side of the roof so miss the guttering.)
I wouldn't disrecommend them as the roof is functional, but they're
definitely a "C+ could have tried harder."
Regards,
Si
mike
Hello
After hearing about bad rofing, would anyone please recommend some
decent roofing contractors around Cambridge. I've booked for 3 quotes
and only 1 turned up to take a look
thanks
mike
Sarah Cooper
>
> After hearing about bad rofing, would anyone please recommend some
> decent roofing contractors around Cambridge. I've booked for 3 quotes
> and only 1 turned up to take a look
>
> thanks
> mike
did the job for the price quoted (though they admitted that they had
underestimated a bit) Took a bit longer than they quoted, but then they
only had one guy on it instead of 2. After 4 years had a bit of a problem
with some of the flashing (second floor dormer window) whilst they didn't
turn up as quick as I'd like they did fix it within 3 weeks and the bloke
did some other stuff up there for us while he was at it. Polite, pleasant,
tidy - not the cheapest, but also not the most expensive. YMMV
SCoop