Decorator just doesnt do what he says.

Dangermouse

Dangermouse

Squeaky Clean
Messages
9,965
Edit My Images
No
Nearly 3 weeks ago we employed a decorator to paint our living room and strip and paper our hall, stairs and landing, he came on the Saturday for a £50 deposit which I gladly paid, then he didn't turn up on the Monday (2 1/2 weeks ago) on Tues Wed and thurs we had him painting the lounge and he left early after 1 hr on the Friday and the lounge was still not finished, please bear in mind he said he would be finished completely on Friday and come to snag on Sat morning, we didn't see of hear from him again till the next Tuesday:(
He then started on the stripping and only stayed 2 hrs each day till Thursday and he got stuck in and it all started to look good, he came Friday to finish off and this was about 3-4 hrs work but I had to go to work so had no option but to pay the man as he wouldn't be paid till Sat and he wanted to do some banking so I finally agreed and went to work, I got home after my 8hr shift only to find he had gone out minutes after me and never came back till Sat morning with a ton of excuses asto why he had not got this finished, apparently he turned up at 13:55pm on Monday and as soon as my wife told him I would be home soon he legged it and came back on Tuesday demanding we buy more wallpaper even though he measured and told us what to buy, we have bent over backwards to let this guy finish the job, but he hasn't bothered turning up at all today and we still have a half decorated hall and stairs, landing. I am now fuming as he didn't bother turning up to day and still hasn't been in touch.........mad as hell:bat:
 
Get him sacked and hire someone more trustworthy:)
 
He had only a few drops left, he said they would be done before he left..........yes I know, big mistake
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
Nearly 3 weeks ago we employed a decorator to paint our living room and strip and paper our hall, stairs and landing, he came on the Saturday for a £50 deposit which I gladly paid, then he didn't turn up on the Monday (2 1/2 weeks ago) on Tues Wed and thurs we had him painting the lounge and he left early after 1 hr on the Friday and the lounge was still not finished, please bear in mind he said he would be finished completely on Friday and come to snag on Sat morning, we didn't see of hear from him again till the next Tuesday:(
He then started on the stripping and only stayed 2 hrs each day till Thursday and he got stuck in and it all started to look good, he came Friday to finish off and this was about 3-4 hrs work but I had to go to work so had no option but to pay the man as he wouldn't be paid till Sat and he wanted to do some banking so I finally agreed and went to work, I got home after my 8hr shift only to find he had gone out minutes after me and never came back till Sat morning with a ton of excuses asto why he had not got this finished, apparently he turned up at 13:55pm on Monday and as soon as my wife told him I would be home soon he legged it and came back on Tuesday demanding we buy more wallpaper even though he measured and told us what to buy, we have bent over backwards to let this guy finish the job, but he hasn't bothered turning up at all today and we still have a half decorated hall and stairs, landing. I am now fuming as he didn't bother turning up to day and still hasn't been in touch.........mad as hell:bat:
Click to expand...
There is no incentive for him to get in touch, he may feel there is no point turning up. After all, he has had his wages.

I have fallen for this sneaky practice before, never again though.
 
Last edited:
nothing like picking a crap trader, I’ve just had a new boiler fitted and I didn’t pay a penny until completed

Got to be honest short of threatening him with court I really don’t know what your going to do here other than find someone new to come in and make good on this guys work, though that might be tricky as I’d think a number of decorators might not want to take on a job halfway though

I’m kind of at a loss how it could take so long to decorate a lounge I’ve got a reasonable size lounge and it’s never taken more than 3 day’s too redecorate
 
I hear stories like this time and time again.

People say don't pay until the job is done. I know someone who had a block pave drive done and the builders were 3 brick short and asked for payment saying they would be back the next morning to finish. The guy said you will get all the money when the job is completed. They were back the next day bright and early.:D

The way to do these deals is to never become friendly with them and dictate the terms and conditions throughout. If you don't your knackered there are so many bad tradesmen that are tradesmen for a reason.
 
jonbeeza said:
There is no incentive for him to get in touch, he may feel there is no point turning up. After all, he has had his wages.

I have fallen for this sneaky practice before, never again though.
Click to expand...
Of course there's incentive, what about honestly pride in your work. It was a mistake to pay him, but now that you have I would be contacting him daily, even go to his house. What excuse has he given you?
 
Get someone else to finish the bit that's left, and take the cowboy to SCC.
 
jakeblu said:
Of course there's incentive, what about honestly pride in your work. It was a mistake to pay him, but now that you have I would be contacting him daily, even go to his house. What excuse has he given you?
Click to expand...
Thank goodness most do have pride in what they do and do honor their commitments. Just hope the above chap does finish what he has been paid to do.
 
jonbeeza said:
Thank goodness most do have pride in what they do and do honor their commitments. Just hope the above chap does finish what he has been paid to do.
Click to expand...
But he's already demonstrated he has neither honesty nor pride, surely.
 
Sounds he was and still is taking the p*** :(

FWIW we are in need of some roofing work and my first port of call was the Checktrade website and choosing only those with the highest ratings & local ones as well.

Three booked to come and see the requirement and quote as appropriate.
 
It's such a shame that there are so many chancers like this Pete, and I'm sorry for what you've experienced.
Most of my work is domestic decorating and maintenance, and while we (in the 'trade') all have stories about bad customers there are so many out there who think that by buying a brush and roller we can paint.
There are often days when I need to leave filler or paint to dry so I may leave early, but it sounds like your work should have kept him busy most days until near the end, and clearly he was busy doing outher jobs that may have paid better (or owed him more..)
Sadly you were too trusting, so while you may be able to take him to court you may get more satisfaction from publicizing his name locally, and making sure all your neighbours and friends know to avoid him.
FWIW sites like Checkatrade are no guarantee of a good workman, and personal recommendation has to be one of the best ways to go in future.

I'd suggest looking a site like this if you want to be sure if getting someone good local to you, but don't expect it to be cheap - http://www.painterspitstop.com There is a section that will point you towards local decorators who are worth their weight..

Decorating is not as easy as many think, and a decent one will need paying for their time, but will make a massive difference to ones home.
I think it is a massively underpaid trade but there are many who take a pride in their work, would not dream of asking for a £50 deposit (which really should have set ALL alarm bells ringing) but who will insist on using a quality paint, take a decent length of time to complete a job and will leave you feeling like you would be happy to have them back in your home again.
Again, sorry for you but hopefully you can get it sorted soon.
 
How much is left to do? Looks like you're not getting him back so it's either get someone else in or do it yourself.
He'll have moved onto another job now so his time won't be free to return.
 
Sounds like he had 2 (or more) jobs on the go at once, not unheard of, sadly you have paid the remaining bill and he may (or may not) come back and finish off. It also sounds like there is still quite a lot to do re the hall/stairs etc. So if he's been paid in full and not making contact I doubt he'll come back. If you engage someone else they'll probably start sucking teeth and saying the last bloke's done it all wrong.
At the risk of paying out again I dont see how you're going to get your place finished now in time for Christmas, which presumably you wanted to do to make the house look nice.
Get it sorted and then chase the other guy through the scc for a refund that should cover the additional costs.

Matt
 
I have just had a message off him, he says he has had the sickness bug which is rife in these parts at the moment, and he says he will be here in the morning to complete the job...........hopefully we can sort the flooring for the stairs this weekend
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
I have just had a message off him, he says he has had the sickness bug which is rife in these parts at the moment, and he says he will be here in the morning to complete the job...........hopefully we can sort the flooring for the stairs this weekend
Click to expand...
I am amazed at how sick/accident prone these guys are, as a freelancer I never take time off, or am I being cynical?
Sounds like you might get a result.
 
My wife used to work at a training prison where they'd teach the prisoners trades so that when they were released they could go and earn an honest days work..........but most of them don't and just rip people off. Funny that some bloke can get a stretch for burglary, learn how to handle a brush then people let them roam all around their houses unattended. I'd never let any trades in my house that wasn't given to me from a trusted source, no matter how long it takes to find someone.
 
His message said he would be here first thing...........its 10am and no sign, or reply to my message
 
Dangermouse1964 said:
His message said he would be here first thing...........its 10am and no sign, or reply to my message
Click to expand...
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you mate, but like Ruth, I'm not optimistic.
 
I am shocked..........he is here right now and on with it, I will say no more till its finally finished, but yaayyyy he is finishing :popcorn: I hope
 
I have to hope his work is up to scratch after all this, and make sure he doesn't ask for more money should he finish.....
Fingers crossed for you Pete !
 
In his defence, he did look poorly, no he looked shocking and had to use the loo on a number of occasions so I think his excuse was genuine, I did feel for him and gave him a tip as he did do a cracking job in the end.
 
Glad it all worked out ok in the end.
 
Great that he completed the job to your satisfaction :)

Though I sincerely hope it was not Noro virus that ailed him!!!!
 
viv1969 said:
Glad it all worked out ok in the end.
Click to expand...
Yup, pleased to hear it all worked out for you. It does go to show you should never pay up for an unfinished job. Always a good idea to keep at least 10% back until the work is completed to your satisfaction. Nothing like good hard cash to keep workmen interested in finishing what they started. :)
 
As a gardener I sometimes do one offs and you would be surprised how many people say do you want paying before I start the job.
I never take the money because it feels like working for nothing when I have finished the job and don't get any money at the end of it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top