Builder Problem..

[Pheebs]

Riiight...

Decided to speak to the plastering dude just to find out his reasoning why he thought it was a pants job so if when I spoke to Dan he said "you don't know what you're talking about" I could say "ermm... but this has been said".

Anyway. Plasterers comments:

1. The top had not been evenly aligned. Apparently the chap should have used some apparatus to make the rounded top even buuut instead he did some guess work.

2. At the end of the last layer, the dude should have waited for the stuff to have partially dried and then sponged it down to make it smooth. He apparently has not waiting and done it when it was still wet - making the wall unsmooth and scratchy.

3. He didn't finish off up to the edge of the wall properly (was all splodgey - Picky actually had to fill in in places with cork (??!) or something as there were gaps)

I asked him how much it would cost to do behind the wall where the guy missed off and he quoted £75.

Sooo I rang up Dan... and thanked him muchly for the drive way but said I was gutted about the quality of the wall at the back. I explained to him the problems we had (it wasn't a finished job and what was done wasn't done to a great standard - explained what I was told above) and then said to him I found the quote and it was £315. He still said we're outstanding £85 from the driveway but I know for a fact I would never ever owe people money if I had it. Never. And we had a whole envelope of cash so there would have been no reason for me to pay him up front full for the drive.

So yeh. He got arsey, said we owed him £400, I said it's deffo £315 - which we wouldn't be paying because of the quality it's done to and the fact it's unfinished. I gave him an opportunity to come and finish it - he's not interested.

Eventually he asked how much we'd be willing to pay and I said £200 tops - but hadn't discussed this yet with Picky. He eventually said we'd have to agree to disagree and that he'd want the money next week.



To finish off I tried to say how chuffed we were with the drive and how sorry it's ended like this. I said nothing could be better with the front drive - then remembered that one of the CATV drain top things got cracked when he reversed a lorry over it to dig out all our drive. Sooo said "Oh yeh... everything was perfect but I'm still concerned about the CATV drain cover thing... it's cracked".

He denied it entirely. Said it was like it before. Then said "they're as strong as anything it won't break anymore, but we didn't do it" and I was like "well how else did it crack if you didn't do it?!?! You're lorry man said he'd forgotton the metal covers they put over them if they're going over the top of them and should he go back and you said no it will be fine!!!"

Argh!

Well I hope we don't get the council popping round and charging us for a cracked CATV cover now. I will go ballistic at Dan.

Meh. Stupid builders.

*fully expects her fence to be rammed down tomorrow despite doing all she could to be polite*