Jinxed at Baggy Towers

[Bagpuss]

After just getting over being cut off from the outside world, thanks to gas peeps who dug our very own moat, we have finally found a roofer to come and replace an old skylight window in our bathroom

 

This has been ongoing for months, with different roofers giving quotes, and then not turning up to do the work, or arranging to come round a give a quote, and not turning up

 

Sooooo, yesterday, two roofer peeps turn up, after having to cancel twice previously due to weather.

 

Lots of banging, knock at door, "sorry love, havn't brought the new unit with us, will have to go and fetch it"

 

Over an hour later, they are back......

 

Lots more banging, knock at door "sorry love, they've given us the wrong unit, will have to go back and get another one"

 

Over an hour later, they are back.....

 

Lots more banging, bathroom totally covered in all sorts of yucky stuff, thank gawd I'd put sheets down, and by this point it's 3.30pm and DS is home, stood by window, watching them going up and down ladder.

 

"Mummmmmmm, one of them has just fallen off the ladder and through the storage shed"

 

Roofer hobbling about front garden, other roofer very angry.....storage shed completely destroyed.

 

Main roofer peep was ranting.......never working on our roof again, should of had scaffolding up, they could of been fined, that DH would have to do the boxing in that was needed on the inside because they only did work on the outside, and then he agreed to knock �65 off the bill for damage to storage shed.

 

I gave them their money and went back inside while they began putting their ladders away, and I assumed they would give me the relevant paperwork once they had finished.

 

Then DS announces "They've gone".............no receipt, no guarantee, nothing

 

Eldest DD woke me up at 6 this morning, "Mum, I think the new window is leaking, there is water all over the bathroom floor"

 

 

During the morning, a big brown envelope turned up, and I assumed it was finally youngest DD's statement, which we have been waiting for since the annual review in November, and the farce over the panel meeting in Feb. As I opened it, I was praying "please let it name the special school, please let it name the special school"

 

It was her DLA renewal pack

Edited March 28, 2008 by Bagpuss

[LizC]

oh no! poor you, and I thought I was the one who had problems!! still dealing with this inner ear infection which causes balance problems!

 

hope you get your window sorted! Can't believe workmen these days!

[Bagpuss]

Thanks Liz, hope all is ok with you <'>

 

DH has spoken to roofer, re leak and guarantee, and he's coming Monday. Apparantly the other fella is in hospital

 

When I went to the supermarket this morning, one of my neighbours stopped me, and asked me I could still smell gas, because they could

 

Nooooooooooooooooooo.....................................

Edited March 28, 2008 by Bagpuss

[Mumble]

"Mummmmmmm, one of them has just fallen off the ladder and through the storage shed"

still dealing with this inner ear infection which causes balance problems!

Maybe that's what the roofer had?

 

Sorry Baggy, I couldn't resist laughing - not at you but at the Frank Spencer image of a falling roofer that I had. Nice of you to provide something to break his fall

 

I hope it all gets sorted soon and the water remains in your moat and not coming through the window - if it's raining as much there as it is here, it can't be very nice

[brooke]

its sounds like your having about as much luck as us <'> <'>

Monday night i said to dh "i can smell gas" he says "i cant!!!" me "you can never smell anything" anyway next day i can still smell gas eventually dh says he can smell gas so he rings gas board and they come out. They check round the house ignoring me then say they cant find anything treat me like a silly woman who knows nothing and had the cheek to say are you sure it was gas you smelt, i said i know what gas smells like Anyhow after he left the neighbour rang to say another gas van had pulled up and they were digging up outside my neighbours house as there was a big gas leak!!! On top of that our heating yet again isnt working and we've been told it will cost �400 to fix and my hoover is on its last legs

Not that it helps baggy but i know how you feel

[Mumble]

had the cheek to say are you sure it was gas you smelt, i said i know what gas smells like

Next time, say, "No, it wasn't gas, I could smell mercaptan." That should either totally confuse them or make them take you seriously, either of which would be better outcomes.

[Bagpuss]

its sounds like your having about as much luck as us <'> <'>

Monday night i said to dh "i can smell gas" he says "i cant!!!" me "you can never smell anything" anyway next day i can still smell gas eventually dh says he can smell gas so he rings gas board and they come out. They check round the house ignoring me then say they cant find anything treat me like a silly woman who knows nothing and had the cheek to say are you sure it was gas you smelt, i said i know what gas smells like Anyhow after he left the neighbour rang to say another gas van had pulled up and they were digging up outside my neighbours house as there was a big gas leak!!! On top of that our heating yet again isnt working and we've been told it will cost �400 to fix and my hoover is on its last legs

Not that it helps baggy but i know how you feel

 

I'm sorry to hear things are so pooh at the mo Brooke, big hugs <'>

[Flora]

Aww Baggy what a rotten horrible chain of events. Some days/weeks are just like that aren't they where everything that can go wrong or pop up to disappoint you just does that!

 

Hope that you can get the window sorted/get statement soon/get DLA renewed without palava etc.

 

Flora X

[oxgirl]

Oh blimey, Baggy, what a day!! <'>

 

~ Mel ~

[Bagpuss]

Every cloud has a silver lining.......DH has decided we need to go out for a meal tonight to cheer ourselves up

 

Thanks all <'>

[Guest Lya of the Nox]

just saw this

thinkin of you

have nice dinner outs

x

[Bagpuss]

Thankyou hunni, hope your ok <'>

[smiley]

One of those days you want to go back to bed and start again......... or just stay in bed! <'>

 

Aw - wufwey hubs

[Bagpuss]

Thanks Smiley <'>

 

When I was out with DH last night, I told him how wufwey he was

 

He said "Stop it, your scaring me"

[loobylou2]

<'> Hope it all gets sorted soon Baggy. Pleased you had a good night out hows your head now?

[hev]

baggy you do have a lovely hubs

 

nick just phoned me to tell me he loved me im in love today but im taking each day at a time what with my life

[Bagpuss]

Thanks Hev and Looby <'>

 

Head fine..well, it was till I went to Tesco's with both DD's

[pearl]

You would think roofers would receive some basic training in how to climb ladders wouldn't you?

Mr p & I are even stevens in the stupid stakes now - he's been walking round like a condemned man since he flooded the laminate, but I've just flattened the car battery by leaving the boot open, so he's gone all manly & capable, sorting it out

[Bagpuss]

Mr P

 

I'm seriously fed up here. Just had a bath, and laid watching the water coming through the window onto the bathroom floor in three separate places. Then noticed it is dripping into the roof space too. I'm worried we will be left with permanent damage to a ceiling......what's happening in the places we can't see.

 

Don't trust the fella to sort it either. He surely can't be a professional to fit the velux in such an appalling way.

 

Just rang another roofing company to see if they could try and come out tomorrow, as an emergency, but they can't get to us till middle of next week.

 

Looks like we are in the hands of the dodgy roofer on Monday

[pearl]

Our velux is tight as a drum Baggy, so no they have not fitted it correctly. Its really dispiriting watching your house fall to bits. Our neighbour had their cavity walls filled a few months before we did. Finding mouldy shoes in the understairs cupboard 2 years later, he pulled up the floorboards & found the joists dripping with water. The cavity wall stuff had breached the damp proof course & the installers hadnt put extra vents in.

 

We are now having to investigate ours, we think its ok, but it was done by same firm. I dunno, you do what the govt says & reduce your carbon footprint & you end up needing new floorboards.

 

Hope you get it sorted. <'>

[Bagpuss]

Thanks Pearl.

 

Original roofer is coming this morning to protect the window from the elements, until he can comes back on Monday morning to sort it properly. He reckons it just needs resealing

 

I don't trust him as far as I could throw him, and am not holding out much hope that after Monday it won't still be leaking.

[justamum]

I hope they sort out but they should have scaffolding up to do your roof and yes they could be fined for not having it. If Health and Safety get wind of it....Look out, they will throw the book at them

 

Watch them like a hawk, they sound a complete cowboy outfit.

[Bagpuss]

Thanks Justmum.

 

He's been and put tarpaulin over the window on the roof, and says he thinks the sealant is still tacky, and with the rain it's leaked.

 

I'm not convinced.

[pearl]

I don't trust him as far as I could throw him

 

Well so long as you don't throw him through your storage shed - thats called cutting off your nose to spite your face

[Bagpuss]

[justamum]

Bagpus

 

He's been and put tarpaulin over the window on the roof, and says he thinks the sealant is still tacky, and with the rain it's leaked.

 

I'm not convinced.

 

Do you smell that..yep sound like BS to me!

 

Frame sealant, if he has the right one, should be quick drying and form a waterproof crust within seconds. As said earlier if the window is leaking a lot then it's a bad fit and no amount of sealant can cover that up. I have had windows put in, DIY job, that didn't get sealant the first night it rained as time ran out. They did not leak because they we had the right size for the hole. What they should do is fill in the void in size with mortar then fit the frame and sealant.

 

Cover yourself by having a wee chat with your local Trading Standards dept..they will be very interested in certain aspect of a breach of Health and Safety regs to begin with let alone trading and shoddy work.

 

Can I ask did they screw the frames into the brickwork and did the frames warp slightly?

[Bagpuss]

Oh, I dunno Justamum

 

The window sits so high in our bathroom, we can't even reach it, and would need step ladders to get a closer look, so can't say it it's screwed in or not, or if it's warped. It doesn't look warped

 

Their advert says they are members of the Guild of Master Craftsmens, which we assumed meant they properly qualified and reputable.

 

My mum and her partner are coming here in the morning so they are present aswell, as DH is at work. My mum looks like Mrs Doubtfire, but in reality is like Atilla The Hun...god help the roofer

 

She'll make him a nice cup of coffee, with a lovely plate of biscuits, and then interrogate him till he can stand it no longer

[justamum]

Guild of Master Craftsmens

 

Lets hope they are, contact them if things are not put right. Let them put a rocket up them. Also if they are using their name and not members

 

But if they didn't use scaffolding the Guild will not be happy to begin with.

[Bagpuss]

Thanks Justamum <'>

[Bagpuss]

Well I've had the most awful morning

 

Roofers turned up early, and went straight up on roof. Mum and her partner arrived about 3/4 hour later.

 

When my mum's partner went to the loo he said that the roofers were by their van and had packed up to go, and it looked as if they were leaving.

 

I went outside and shouted over to them, asking them if they could leave a receipt and guarantee as promised.

 

The main roofer peep shouted back "That's what I'm doing", and got abit stroppy. I apologised and explained that I had assumed they were leaving.

 

He came stomping back to the house and handed me a Velux brochure and then began ranting again about never working on our roof again without scaffolding, so I asked him why he hadn't put any up. He said it was to save us money. I then said that if he felt scaffolding should of gone up, he should of put it up, and that he was the professional not us. He wasn't happy unfortunately and got very irritable when I queried the receipt and he said it was inside the Velux brochure, so I opened it and it wasn't.

 

My mum was stood beside me and asked if she could pick it up from the address the company is registered at (where the boss lives), as it was an area near her, and the roofer got really angry saying he didn't know the exact address, and she'd have to ring the boss, he just worked for him (the company name on the van is different to the firm we contacted, so I'm assuming the boss has subcontracted out). He said he would write us a receipt out and went storming back to his van. My mum followed him to collect the receipt while I popped back inside to put the kettle on, and he told her she was interfering and he was dealing with me, not her and he didn't like the lot of us, and to basically go away.

 

My mum went back inside, where her partner was waiting, and I came out and waited for him to come back. He gave me the receipt and he was obviously very angry. I asked why he'd been so rude to my mum, she'd only walked over with him to his van to collect the receipt, nobody had actually said anything confrontational or rude to him. He really lost it, was shouting, said he wasn't rude, he was dealing me, not her, that he been good enough to come back and re-do the window. He'd never dealt with people like us before and had had enough. I queried why he hadn't left a receipt on Thursday when he'd finished the job and he said he didn't know we wanted one and we should of asked.

 

It was awful, truly awful, and I was shaking by the time I got back in the house. I was blooming scared stiff, but glad I held my ground. I had to concentrate really hard not to let my shaky hands show when I signed the receipt.

 

I had abit of cry when I got back from doing my shopping .....I don't think I've ever felt so intimidated.

 

My mum and her partner apologised for not coming out to my defense, but I think tbh they probably felt just as concerned as I was, and maybe felt it would rile him further. Felt aliittle bit like a lamb to the slaughter though

[oxgirl]

Oh no, Baggy, that's really terrible, what horrible behaviour. Sounds like he was being really aggressive and I bet you were really taken aback by his attitude, sounds like it came out of nowhere. Well done for standing your ground, maybe this is a little routine he plays out to intimidate people and stop them questioning his professionalism, which leaves a lot to be desired, by the sounds of it. Well done for getting the receipt and the paperwork done, looks like he was trying to wriggle out of that. Will you report his behaviour to his 'boss' or do you think that will just make it worse? I'm not surprised you were shaken, I would have been quivering in my boots. <'> <'>

 

~ Mel ~

[Bagpuss]

Dunno what to do tbh Mel, because I can't see his boss treating it seriously. I think he is just subcontracting out. I'll have a chat to DH when he gets home from work and see what he thinks.

 

I went upstairs earlier to have a look at the window, and it's now on upside down (to how he previously fitted it) and wonky with ruddy great screws in it

 

I'm off to bed tonight with a good book and hope tomorrow is better...........and that it doesn't rain

[oxgirl]

Oh, that's so stressful for you, hope it gets sorted to your satisfaction asap. <'> <'> <'>

 

~ Mel ~

[loobylou2]

<'> Baggy <'>

[brooke]

that sounds terrible bagpuss <'> <'> I would of been really scared You did really well im no good with confrontations i think you were really brave

[Bagpuss]

Thanks all <'>

 

I'm not brave believe me.....I'd far rather avoid confrontations like these, but sometimes you've just got to stand up to people who behave like bullies and try to intimidate you.

 

DH home and furious. He has found that the velux is actually open, and has been fitted so badly again it won't shut. Gawd help us if it rains.

 

We are off to the Citizens Advice Bureau to see where we go from here and we've taken photo's. I'll try to post some later on if I get chance.

 

We've contacted another roofing man, who a neighbour has recommended, to hopefully come and put it right.

[Bagpuss]

Hope this link works

 

*link removed*

 

The black stuff you can see is black cement or brick

Edited March 31, 2008 by Bagpuss

[Bagpuss]

Hmmmm, seems link isn't working....will try link to separate piccies, rather than album

 

Our

 

lovely

 

gorgeous

 

wonderful

 

brand

 

new

 

velux

 

and

 

here

 

are

 

the

 

best

 

of

 

the

 

rest

Edited March 31, 2008 by Bagpuss

[justamum]

can't open it as it's password protected.

 

 

The only reason why he got annoyed is because you and your mum had cottoned on to his little scam. I don't know hoe much he charged you but I dare say he factored in the scaffolding charge and pocketed it. It's not your fault he broke health and safety rules and has probably ended up with a whacking fine because the guy that fell wound up in hospital and split the beans...IT'S HIS!

 

I hope you get the book thrown at him..oh and if the company you dealt with contracted out they are still responsible, and irresponsible!

 

The CB will probably tell you your options...Trading Standard, Guild of Master Craftsmen and Health and Safety. The law will probably come up with a duff address.

[justamum]

I nearly forgot..drop a quick report to Inland Revenue, I expect he is also abusing his SC60 (what ever it is called these days) and committing either benefit fraud or tax fraud, or both!

 

FLIPPING HECK, just looked at the photos what a mess!

 

I do hope you get it sorted quickish and the original company get their come uppance

Edited March 31, 2008 by justamum