Paid Deposit - Tradesman Vanished, options?

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G7979

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I hired someone to do some work at my house, as the title suggests I have paid them a deposit (€1400) which was to cover the materials etc.

He started work and has cleared the room, the floors have been lifted the space cleared for a custom build piece of furniture.

Some materials have been delivered to the house and are stacked up in the living room and he has left some tools behind. He also moved a radiator but has air-locked the system and I have had no heat since this was done.

The first day he worked abut 3 hours, arrived at 10am and left about 1pm
The second day he arrived about 10am and left about 12pm (Saturday)

And I havent seen him since. He didnt show up on the Monday as arranged, he didnt call or text and didnt answer my messages. He eventually set a message during the night, (4am Tuesday) to say there was a family member in the hospital and they were dying and that he hoped to get to me on the Tuesday about 8.30.

Tuesday came and went, no show, no call. Wednesday, no show no call, Thursday I got a text to say the person had died and he would call me at 10am, no call.

I pretty much left him alone last week when I knew there was a family situation and texted on Friday evening looking for an update and asking him to cal me. I have texted and called ever since looking for an update and when he might return to work but he is not picking up the phone and not returning my calls and messages.

He is aware I have had no heat since he moved the rad and has left me with a house in a mess.

What are my options here? Its been 10 days and I dont think I have been unreasonable or unsympathetic to the family bereavement.

Any advice?
 
Hello,

While the story about a death in the family may well be true, this is just another example on a very long list of reasons why people regularly complain about tradesmen.

Am I correct in thinking that this has been going on over 2 weeks?

Where did you get his contact details from, have you any leverage over him through a personal connection, or trade association?

See if he is on Local Heroes, the Bord Gais website and if so, see if they can help you get a replacement tradesman to take over the job.

For whatever reason, it looks like this guy has messed your around and will probably continue to do so. For that reason, I would be thinking about firing him at this stage.

I would call someone else and get your heating fixed immediately, it's too cold at this time of year to be without heat. Get your receipt for whatever it costs and send him a text telling him how much he owes you for the repair.

I would also be asking for a refund of whatever you've paid him. If its not forthcoming, take the matter to the small claims court and retain whatever tools and materials he's left at your house, until you get resolution.
 
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Has he keys or other access to the property? Review that set-up if he has but be careful noone can accuse you of locking him out/denying access.
 
First decide wether you want him to finish the job or if you want to get rid of him.

If you want him to finish the job, ring him, text him etc 4 or 5 times a day. levee polite but insistent messages. Most likely you are not the only one doing this.

If you want to get rid of him you will need to give him written notice and a reasonable time period (say 3 weeks max) to finish the job.

You can probably follow both these courses at the same time.

As for getting the heat back again demand in writing that he do this and give him a reasonable time frame (maybe 2 days)if he doesn't get the heat back you could get someone else to do it and expect him to carry the cost.

If you don't fire him properly he may have the possibility to pursue you for the rest of the price.
 
Hi all,

Many thanks for taking the time to respond. After a bit of amateur sleuthing yesterday, (Facebook, voter register and RIP.ie are wonderful resources!) I can confirm the death of the family member, so that much was real (I had my doubts myself). I have an address for the small claims court if he does not return my deposit.

In relation to the initial contact, I don't actually recall how I came across him, but he was one of four quotes I got and he was about average on price. I liked his design style before I gave him the job, we had maybe 8 conversations about the job and he visited the house 3 times to discuss finishes and take measurements etc. There was constant communication, he send me images etc on WhatsApp to illustrate what he was recommending, he made suggested changes to what I wanted and all in all I was happy to proceed.

He is not a registered gas installer, (wasn't doing anything with the gas just moving a radiator) so no luck with the sites mentioned above.

I called him 6 times yesterday and he didn't get back to me (no option to leave a voicemail), however last night about 8pm I got a text, sorry but he had to spend time at home and he would be over today to "finish the job". I asked what time and got no response. No mention of the inconvenience or the heating disaster, didn't ask if I could be at home to accommodate. Needless to say I am sitting at home in the cold and no sign of him. I have called him 4 times this morning and sent 2 text messages and no response.

As to whether or not I want him back! In truth no I don't, I don't have endless amounts of days to take off work and sit around hoping someone is going to turn up. He hasn't done very much work at this point but I have no complaints about the quality of what he has done. My concern however is twofold 1)will another person take over the work given that it is already started and 2) having to go through the quotes and scheduling of the work all over again and living with it in this condition until I find someone else, how long will that take? Is it a case of better the devil you know??

I am calling around plumbers in the area and will get whoever I can to call and sort the problem with the heating, will try and get him to cover the cost but I'd say there is no hope, if I do fire him and get someone else to do the work, getting him to return my deposit will be hard enough without asking him to cough up extra. I will add it to the small claims bill if I go down that route.

I must say the comment about denying him access made me smile, I have been extending an invitation to attend for several days now and all but begging him to access my home but he so far has not taken me up on the offer ;) He doesn't have keys etc so no concerns there.

Thanks all, will post again when I have a resolution/update.
 
Hi All,

Just a quick, update, after a couple of further appearances and more dead relatives the builder last made contact on the 21 March by text when he asked me if I wanted him to finish the job!! I responded yes but he did not make any further contact. He has not been at the house since the 7th March (heating was fixed on the 7th).

The lockdown was announced and he has left me high and dry, he has made no contact throughout this time. I have tried to maintain perspective, I know only too well that people are getting sick and dying, but isolating on my own in a house that is effectively a building site has been very tough, even the simple pleasure of walking around my house with no shoes on or being able to watch netflix on the sofa for the past couple of months have not been possible. With bare concrete floors the insulation is non existent in the living room and my belongings are piled up in the other rooms, making life in the house very tough, trying to keep the house clean and find an uncluttered space for a video call for work even has been challenging. I am dreading the gas bill.

I wanted to ask abut the recent announcement;

Phase 1 suggested construction workers would be allowed to return to work but I understand that to be only those who work outside on larger sites.

Phase 2 suggested small businesses and retailers would be allowed to reopen and visits to households could resume, would this include trades working in peoples homes? Being able to get supplies to complete the work should be possible at this stage if I am reading it correctly.

Phase 3 suggests a return to work for those with low levels of social interaction, again would this mean work in peoples homes?

At what stage will trades people be returning to work??

I need to get this sorted ASAP (safely). I am starting to make contact with a couple of builders this week to see about quotes and possible start dates and wanted to see what others take on things are.

Thanks
 
I think some already are back working! Ring around and they'll tell you when they expect to be back. Try and get someone recommended if possible this time. They're definitely not all as bad as him!
 
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