Forum Topic

rogue traders in Ealing

Just wanted some advice.We have wanted to have our window ledges painted for some time. Then by pure chance, we saw the house at the end of the road having their ledges done and it all looked very good. So I got a quote and he agreed to do ours and the lady opposite our house.He started the work on monday but he got his 15 year old son to do the groundwork such as scraping off all the paint and the son has damaged the sills. When we complained, the dad said our window sills were old and flaky etc.We don't want them to cause any more damage but we have paid them a deposit.What are our rights. They seem like cowboys. My mum was very upset because they have caused more damage.We had also wanted them to paint our kitchen but the way they are working, she does not trust them.What are our rights.

Asha Smith ● 4605d18 Comments

Doesn't work well I've found with water based paints (I have to use these because of my wife's asthma). You need the longer 'flow' time of an oil or solvent base.

Nigel Brooks ● 4603d

Or try flood paintig for a mirror finish.

Tony Maxey ● 4603d

No brush strokes on my door panels. Slow and steady and not too much paint at once.

Nigel Brooks ● 4603d

Wot are you blokes like at layin' it off?

Keith Iddon ● 4603d

Fair dinkum well stone the crows i never knew that.

Tony Maxey ● 4603d

Nah mate, don't come the raw prawn; it's a snag or a snagger.Never heard it called a snagging and I've been eating them since I was knee-high to a wombat's chuff.

Nigel Brooks ● 4603d

We have strange terminology in the UK. In Australia we used to do a final touch up, over here its snagging which in Aus is a sausage. Never tried painting with a sausage. But there again touch up has a double meaning depending on if your minds in the gutter or not.

Tony Maxey ● 4604d

Yep, a kettle isn't just for a brew.Now pass me the sniper.

Nigel Brooks ● 4604d

City and Guilds painters are always worth a try.Cty and Guilds qualifications for trades are always very good as they are taught by highly skilled tradesmen and the qualififcations are long established and expect high standards and are usually in tandem with apprenticeships.Ask the painter if he knows what a 'George' is. If he knows straight away, he's been a journeyman.

Oliver Gregan ● 4604d

There are too many people out there that call themselves painters. But wouldn’t know a Fitch from a 4inch.  They would have to have at least 5 years proven experience of being an actual painter before I would let them anywhere near my home. I spent 5 years as a brush hand then 5 years as an employed painter before starting my own. business Anyone can hold a brush its how you use it that matters.

Tony Maxey ● 4604d

Also Asha, before you choose to name this builder / company, I suspect you think long and hard as they could, if they read this, get back to you being referred to as a "rogue trader".Just because you don't like their working practises does not mean they're either rogue or incompetent

Bud Richards ● 4605d

I'd suspect, knowing the track record of Asha, that the fault lay with Asha and not the builder - but happy to be proven wrong! This being the same person who totally discredited my physiotherpaist - the same physiotherapist who got me back to full fitness after a particularly bad injury in 6 months when the 'experts' told me it would be 2 years. I'll leave it at that!

Bud Richards ● 4605d

Any reason why you're not naming and shaming him and his business Asha?  This is a community forum after all and I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone else to fall foul.

Andy Vaughan ● 4605d

What does a thug look like? I have a pal who is senior BA cabin crew but some friends are scared of him because "He looks like a thug". He is nothing of the sort but oddly, there's never any trouble on his flights!!But in all honesty you get what you deserve. You should always get at least 3 quotes and ask for references.  Speak to the references and some if local will show you the work done. Some have a folio of work showing the standard they achieve.Good skilled work and quality materials are not cheap. Cut corners and it shows sooner rather than later. It need not cost exessively, but if it's cheap you need to ask a lot of questions.

Oliver Gregan ● 4605d

Unfortunate and goes to prove that you should get solid references before you let anyone work on your home.I do worry about your terribly judgmental nature though."a nasty looking young fella who looked like he was just out of prison""I saw his real face. That of a thug."Let's hope that he and his colleague are not well-versed in the law of slander.

Nigel Brooks ● 4605d

The house at the end are full of appraise for their work but now on speaking to two other neighbours, they are very unhappy. This morning I tried to phone him but he was not picking up after he said he would not be able to turn up today. I then sent him a text (whilst still angry) to say we want our deposit back and we will charge him for any damage. He then decided to reply back once he got that message and said he will turn up and speak to me. He turned up with a nasty looking young fella who looked like he was just out of prison and they thought I would get scared. I stood my ground and showed him all the damage. He asked if he could come inside to talk and I said i would rather talk outside so that the neighbours could hear. He cleaned up all the mess which they had left yesterday and now he has gone. I don't know if he is coming back but I will certainly not let him in.The thing is at the beginning he was very polite and laughing and now I saw his real face. That of a thug. His son just out of school probably caused more damage as he was always on his mobile and messing around.

Asha Smith ● 4605d

Many years ago I was in the same situation as your decorator. A chap asked me to paint the exterior of his house because he liked what he saw on the property I was working on across the road. Half way through his job he came to me and said that he didn’t like what I was doing to his house. I explained that it was only half completed and when I finish I would give him a pad and pen so he could write down any faults he could find and I would fix these to make sure that he was happy with the work. After completion I offered him the pad and pen he refused and said he had already been around the house and could not find anything that he was unhappy with. I suppose the moral of this story is wait until he has finished then approach him before final payment to see if the work is to your satisfaction if it is not then don’t pay him the balance or ask him to correct his work. And please don’t use the term rouge trader until he has finished remember you asked him to do the work he did not canvass you.

Tony Maxey ● 4605d

They did the house over the road and "it all looked very good". Did you speak to the owner was he/she happy with their work? If yes, let them carry on and fill/sand your cills if not then why didn't you ask them first?Lots of tradesmen let their children help them over the summer holidays. I use to work with my father preparing cables and making tea etc.You don't say how you 'ledges' have been damaged. If they are wooden they may have gone rotten, not a nice job for any decorator.Tradesmen have to exercise 'reasonable care' if they have actually caused damage the first step is to speak to them to ask what they are going to do to remedy the situation. If they have merely exposed damage that was already there but not evident when they gave you the estimate of cost, as example, rot then it's wholly down to you to pay up and ask them to fix it.

Nigel Brooks ● 4605d