Fiat Coupe Club UK

What would you do?

Posted By: MeanRedSpider

What would you do? - 09/11/2019 11:28

We’ve been having some patio-type work done by a guy. When he started, he said we should tell him if there’s anything we’re not happy with.

Anyhow, the job’s been progressing and taken more time and many times more materials than the guy estimated. Regardless, we’ve paid him literally within hours of getting his weekly invoice and it’s us that have been ordering the materials. That said, there was an odd evening when he texted to ask, in a pretty blunt way, why he hadn’t been paid (about 3 hours after giving us his invoice). Though I paid him, he sent another even more accusatory text the following morning demanding to know why he hadn’t been paid (even though he had).

Anyhow, the work commenced and we ordered yet more (£300 more) materials. The weather then was terrible for a week and he understandably didn’t come. After the 2nd day of much better weather, we still hadn’t seen him but he’d dropped a bill of, so I sent him a text to ask when he was coming and the there were a couple of crack in some mortar in a wall. I was rather shocked by his response where he basically lost his sh!t saying he’d just come and collect his tools and to keep the money. I sent a mollifying text but didn’t hear back.

About a week later, my wife got a text saying we’d broken trust because we hadn’t paid him and he was refusing to do any more. He said he’d come and collect his mixer and tools. I replied, reminding him that we’d always paid on the button and that he’d said to keep the money this time (pointing out that there were problems that needed fixing).

We’ve come to the conclusion that he’s lost interest in the job and has been looking for (fabricated) excuses to drop it.

Well, that was about 4 weeks ago and his mixer, barrow, and a load of other tools are still sat on our drive despite a few notes to say to him that he needs to pick them up. We have another guy finishing the job.

At what point do I just take his stuff to the tip? Any ideas on what the legal situation is when someone dumps stuff with you?
Posted By: cyborg7

Re: What would you do? - 09/11/2019 14:55

I don't know the legal position, but I would tend to say never. Although he sounds like a lunatic, these tools might be his livelihood after all said and done. Ideally (if feasible) drop them off to him to get shot of them. Otherwise I would probably be inclined to send him some sort of formal note (keep a copy / electronic is fine) to say that he's got 28 days to pick them up after which you will need to start charging for storage and after a further 28 days you will advertise them to be sold and return to him have whatever they went for less the storage fee. Hopefully there'll be no need to go through with it. He seems pretty 'focused' on money so maybe that will focus his mind a bit.
Posted By: magooagain

Re: What would you do? - 09/11/2019 20:39

You have to wonder why an artisan has not collected his tools as surely he must need them.
Mrs are you sure he is a self employed tradesman?

It's a bizarre story to be honest.

I'm a one man band in construction but don't operate the same way. My work is on a price mainly. But I do have "trusty"clients that just ask me to come and do the work. No prices or estimates.Never any problems mind.

I hope it works out ok Mrs.
Posted By: MeanRedSpider

Re: What would you do? - 09/11/2019 22:40

Thanks, folks. Without wanting to extend the story too much, I should add that he mentioned something about buying a buy-to-let property. I wonder if he’s busy working on that to get it rented out.

And, I’d agree, it is bizarre. It was going very well and then (just around the point of him buying the house) it wasn’t.
Posted By: williamsdad

Re: What would you do? - 11/11/2019 00:50

Some people are so random i suspect you'll never get to the bottom of it .. I think if something has been left in your care you legally have a duty to keep it safe from harm or the owner could pursue a claim for its reinstatement value. However I think in this instance its pretty clear that you didnt agree for the tools to be left in your care. Perhaps instead of a trip to the tip you could take them to the invoice address and leave them on the drive?
Posted By: Emjay

Re: What would you do? - 17/11/2019 18:35

MRS, write to him giving a reasonable period of time to collect, say 14 days. No harm in referring back to your earlier notes asking him to collect. And say that anything uncollected after that time will be disposed of.

If not wanting him to just turn up, you can ask him to revert with dates and times during that period that he can collect, so you can arrange.
Posted By: MeanRedSpider

Re: What would you do? - 17/11/2019 19:18

Thanks, Emjay,

I don’t know I have an address for him but I’ve texted him earlier today and given him a month.

On the positive side, the lad who has taken the job on is doing really well.
Posted By: OnlyItalian

Re: What would you do? - 17/11/2019 21:10

Bag over the head, feed him to his own mixer!
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