J
JL_Electrical
First fixed a two storey extension, started in August 2010. Kitchen diner and two upstairs bedrooms. Downlights throughout the kitchen diner, electric cooker, sockets galore, plinth heaters, remote veluxes etc. Customer changing his mind daily and adding extra points etc but as I seemed to quite get on with the bloke at the time, I kept my price the same. His wiring in the existing house was pretty damn bad, so I advised a rewire.
As he was gutting the rest of the house anyway, he agreed and I gave him a price. I have first fixed 85% of the existing house and second fixed some of it. I have left his existing wiring in place so as to not leave him in a mess. The reason that some remains to be first fixed is that he has repeatedly promised to move mountains of all sorts of crap from the rooms but never has gotten round to it. Anyway in late 2010 he falls out with the builder big time and the builder refuses to come back. I know the builder through a mutual customer and was informed that he hadn't been paid in full. I had been paid up until this point and thought there were no issues.
Anyway months pass by and I start to wonder what had happened, but being busy anyway I wasn't too fussed. I'd pretty much been paid for the work I'd done to that point. Anyway out of the blue one day the customer calls and says he's had issues with a subby the builder used and wasn't happy with the work but was made up with mine and would I be willing to come back and finish the job off. He explained that the job had came to a stop due to his mum dying and all the arrangements that came with it etc. I kind of felt sorry for the guy and against my better judgement I agreed that I would fit the remainder of the job in as and when I had time and made a promise that I'd have his Kitchen live for last Christmas. Which is a promise I kept.
The job hit a stop again when I said to him that he owed me £525.00 + Mats for the kitchen and bedroom second fix. I'd been on it for two days and my apprentice for one. The bulk of this time was cutting in and second fixing down lights galore. Anyway his reply was the extension works were agreed with the builder, go and see him for your money. I obviously was not best pleased and have been trying to negotiate it since. The second fix gear had been stored in his house for nigh on a year and unfortunately some of the materials that had been sent by the wholesaler were incorrect. I had to replace these as rightly the wholesaler was unwilling to exchange a year later due to changing stock lines etc. I have not been reimbursed.
I have threatened the guy with a claim against him and sent recorded invoices etc, but he is sending letters back saying that I am refusing to come and sort out problems such as one downlight being the wrong colour, a spring clip missing (which he must have lost), downlights being in the wrong place (interesting it's taken him 12mths of looking at them to realise this), switch inserts being the wrong colour and that I'm flat out refusing to finish the works on his existing house. My reasoning is, why would I risk losing more money to do extra work for a non paying customer. The one downlighter being the wrong colour was due to it being marked wrong on the box. He knows damn well I'd have replaced it given half a chance. I've sent a written contract for him to sign requesting £400.00 up front for materials and labour charge to be paid on completion for the remainder of his job. He has replied with a letter claiming I need to reimburse him for unfinished works, and things being in the wrong place and sockets not being energised etc.
Utter utter areshole and I've learned a big lesson from him.
I'm down £700.00 shall I pursue it and go through all the rigmarole or put it down to experience and never work to verbal contract ever again?
As he was gutting the rest of the house anyway, he agreed and I gave him a price. I have first fixed 85% of the existing house and second fixed some of it. I have left his existing wiring in place so as to not leave him in a mess. The reason that some remains to be first fixed is that he has repeatedly promised to move mountains of all sorts of crap from the rooms but never has gotten round to it. Anyway in late 2010 he falls out with the builder big time and the builder refuses to come back. I know the builder through a mutual customer and was informed that he hadn't been paid in full. I had been paid up until this point and thought there were no issues.
Anyway months pass by and I start to wonder what had happened, but being busy anyway I wasn't too fussed. I'd pretty much been paid for the work I'd done to that point. Anyway out of the blue one day the customer calls and says he's had issues with a subby the builder used and wasn't happy with the work but was made up with mine and would I be willing to come back and finish the job off. He explained that the job had came to a stop due to his mum dying and all the arrangements that came with it etc. I kind of felt sorry for the guy and against my better judgement I agreed that I would fit the remainder of the job in as and when I had time and made a promise that I'd have his Kitchen live for last Christmas. Which is a promise I kept.
The job hit a stop again when I said to him that he owed me £525.00 + Mats for the kitchen and bedroom second fix. I'd been on it for two days and my apprentice for one. The bulk of this time was cutting in and second fixing down lights galore. Anyway his reply was the extension works were agreed with the builder, go and see him for your money. I obviously was not best pleased and have been trying to negotiate it since. The second fix gear had been stored in his house for nigh on a year and unfortunately some of the materials that had been sent by the wholesaler were incorrect. I had to replace these as rightly the wholesaler was unwilling to exchange a year later due to changing stock lines etc. I have not been reimbursed.
I have threatened the guy with a claim against him and sent recorded invoices etc, but he is sending letters back saying that I am refusing to come and sort out problems such as one downlight being the wrong colour, a spring clip missing (which he must have lost), downlights being in the wrong place (interesting it's taken him 12mths of looking at them to realise this), switch inserts being the wrong colour and that I'm flat out refusing to finish the works on his existing house. My reasoning is, why would I risk losing more money to do extra work for a non paying customer. The one downlighter being the wrong colour was due to it being marked wrong on the box. He knows damn well I'd have replaced it given half a chance. I've sent a written contract for him to sign requesting £400.00 up front for materials and labour charge to be paid on completion for the remainder of his job. He has replied with a letter claiming I need to reimburse him for unfinished works, and things being in the wrong place and sockets not being energised etc.
Utter utter areshole and I've learned a big lesson from him.
I'm down £700.00 shall I pursue it and go through all the rigmarole or put it down to experience and never work to verbal contract ever again?
