As per the Law, tradesmen of yours are having an obligation to perform the task to safe standards, within reasonable timeframe, and at reasonable cost- there shouldn’t be any flaw or fault in their work. In case an individual is facing building disputes or is feeling unhappy with work done by their tradesman, give below is piece of advice on what one should do next.
Facing disputes with tradesmen and builders
- Give one last chance to tradesman to fix the issues but free of cost- contact the tradesman as well as explain them clearly the issue that is there by making use of any contacts that you drew as referring and evidence to any relevant guarantees or warranties. It will be best if you make complaints in writing so that you can maintain copies of those evidences of what all has been talked about and agreed. Whenever one sends their tradesman a letter, ensure that they ask them to send a reply within limited timeframe and one should remember to maintain written notes of all telephone calls as well.
- Hire some mediator- in case you don’t receive any reply from the tradesman or your complaint is disputed by them, one can easily get involvement of third party for mediating as well as attempting to resolve the situation. For such cases, trade associations like RIBA (Royal institute of British Architects) or FMB (Federation of Master Builders) can provide free service for resolution of dispute, so look out if the tradesman of yours is belonging to any of these associations. Those who have used payment protection schemes like Bondpay, they will normally be having access to free arbitration service. One can also receive independent surveyors for assessing the work as well as decide as to whether amendments are needed; you may be asked to pay for their service.
- Obtain legal advice- in case mediation method fails and one is left with sub-standard job, look for further advice on what one can do next from government-funded suggestion service that is Consumer Direct
- Take the tradesman to the court- truly speaking, this should be the last option for resorting issues as it can be a costly affair and it isn’t guaranteed that you’ll succeed; hence it is vital to take legal suggestion prior to getting on this route. Some association like Law Works or Consumer Direct will assist you in finding suitable legal professional.
Paying for the poor workmanship
- Suppose the problem is not major but it still requires compensation, one can try negotiating some discount off the actual cost.
- In case the tradesman of yours is not giving discount or is refusing to invest work right then, one can hire some other tradesman for fixing the issue and they can charge working cost from their original contractor. One should be cautious of claiming back costs as they can be tough and one may end going through court procedures.
- Suppose the individual has paid using their credit card and their project finished pretty badly in addition to dangerous outcomes, one can be capable of claiming back their costs ( between Euro 100 to Euro 30000). Maestro, MasterCard, and Visa also come with chargeback schemes that allow users to get their money back- contact the bank regarding this.
- In case the company hired by you has gone out of business, you’ll formally require claiming back your money- obtain legal advice on the way you can go about this.