Need Advice from the Experts! (1 Viewer)

scaffoldfan

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Hi All,

I am a homeowner who has had major issues with our scaffolders (based in the Hastings area) and wanted to know how to best resolve the situation with them.

They started a job over 10 weeks ago erecting scaffolding and replacing the tiles on our roof. What should have been a four-week job has turned into a game of trying to track them down. The have finished quite a lot of the work so there is perhaps one or two days left of tiling to do. However, they have not done any work on the roof for over a month. The last time they were on site was three weeks ago and that was only to remove scaffolding from the areas that they had already finished.

They do not pick up the phone when we call them, nor do they respond to texts except to say they will call us back, but then they never do. And when we try to call them back, they again do not pick up the phone.

We can only assume that they are on another big job and we, as mere homeowners, have slide way down their priority list. Worrying as the weather has turned. We live by the sea and winds are strong here.

We have found someone else who can finish the job for us, but unfortunately, he will not use the scaffolding that is left there as it's very unsafe, no handrails, missing boards, etc. I will add photos later.

So how do we get the guys to come back and at least take down the scaffolding in the next two weeks if they don't want to finish the job? We have the other guy tentatively booked in for three weeks time. We will of course pay another scaffolder to take down the scaffolding but haven't found a company that will do that as yet. Even if there is someone in the area who will stand on the ground and guide us, that would be a great help.

If we need to, we will try to take the scaffolding down ourselves. That will be the absolute LAST and final option. The problem is that we have some exposed hips and with the cold weather fast upon us, I am very worried about how exposed our roof is. We don't have infinite money to spend on repairing further damage so this is causing a lot of stress and anxiety. There is scaffolding about a third of the way around the house. All up the south side to three levels including a chimney and is joined to the one level in the front of the house and it wraps round about 1/3 down the north side of the house.

Any advice that anyone can give on how we best move forward would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

---------- Post added at 11:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:00 AM ----------

Here are the pics of the scaffolding that is left which we want removed:
http://www.scaffoldersforum.com/members/scaffoldfan-albums-scaffolding-needs-removing.html
 
Well my friend it would seem from what you say that the roofers had put up their own scaffold and not a scaffold company
hopefully you haven't paid these chancers yet, perhaps a photo and a listing on eBay of the gear might push them into finishing the job or else I'm afraid you will have to pay a reputable firm or a bit of cash to any lads you see working nearby
 
I would be inclined to send either a solicitors letter of a recorded delivery letter stating the obvious faults in the service/product/time frame. I would ask politely that they complete the task within a reasonable time; 7 working days, failure to acknowledge or comply will result in you having no option but to employ a third party to complete the job and remove all builders equipment from site which if not collected within a further 5 working days will be disposed of and all associated costs will be charged to the contractors account and subsequently deducted from their final account.

PS Hatter is correct, they won't be scaffs they will be roofers or other such chancers
 
Were they the cheapest quote by any chance?
 
Pay a roofing company to finish their work, buy a scaffold spanner, take down their scaffold , and sell it.use the money to pay the roofing company who finished the job. Any spare cash left over take your wife out for a meal. When the original roofers come back don't answer your phone to them
 
I like it!

---------- Post added at 09:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:29 PM ----------

Were they the cheapest quote by any chance?
They were but believe it or not, were recommended by a friend who had used them and she was happy with their worK! I told her never to recommend the again as they have seriously gone downhill since finishing her job earlier in the year!

---------- Post added at 09:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:32 PM ----------

Pay a roofing company to finish their work, buy a scaffold spanner, take down their scaffold , and sell it.use the money to pay the roofing company who finished the job. Any spare cash left over take your wife out for a meal. When the original roofers come back don't answer your phone to them
Sounds good to me!

---------- Post added at 09:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:33 PM ----------

Well my friend it would seem from what you say that the roofers had put up their own scaffold and not a scaffold company
hopefully you haven't paid these chancers yet, perhaps a photo and a listing on eBay of the gear might push them into finishing the job or else I'm afraid you will have to pay a reputable firm or a bit of cash to any lads you see working nearby
We have paid them about 80% of the quote as they have replaced a few thousand tiles but we still owe them money for the work that is outstanding. Ironically, what they have done is good as we have had a builder friend come to check it all over.

But it makes sense that they are roofers who own scaffold and are not scaffolders per se, though their company is called XXX Scaffolding and Building.
 
Scaffolders don't replace tiles. We only break them.
 
If they are a roofing/building company that have their own gear, i would imagine they don't have vast amounts of gear, it'd cost them money to replace the scaffold around your house if it was sold. I'd be sending a letter like Alan suggests.
 
But it makes sense that they are roofers who own scaffold and are not scaffolders per se, though their company is called XXX Scaffolding and Building.

you could say to them that unless they get their ass in gear, you will name &shame them on social media
 
But it makes sense that they are roofers who own scaffold and are not scaffolders per se, though their company is called XXX Scaffolding and Building.

you could say to them that unless they get their ass in gear, you will name &shame them on social media

There aren't many outfits around Hastings with that description so he has already done it!

---------- Post added at 10:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:29 AM ----------

[/COLOR]
We have paid them about 80% of the quote as they have replaced a few thousand tiles but we still owe them money for the work that is outstanding. Ironically, what they have done is good as we have had a builder friend come to check it all over.

But it makes sense that they are roofers who own scaffold and are not scaffolders per se, though their company is called XXX Scaffolding and Building.[/QUOTE]

A quick google showed them as having an address in Hastings - if that's them have you called round in the evening to have a chat?
 
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