Problem with tradesman

Fumes

Looking for some advice on how to deal with a problem I am having with a tradesman. Approx. 6 weeks ago I hired him to erect some fencing around my house. I found him through an ad in a local paper and he came and gave me a very competitive quote for the work.

He asked me for 60% of the total price for the work up front to pay for the materials and I gave it to him. He came a couple of days later with another man and put up some of the posts for the panels. He said he would be back a couple of days later to erect the rest of the posts but he didn't show up. I rang him and he said he was delayed with something else and that he would drop round in the next few days to finish the posts. Again, no sign of him for another week. Called again and he said the man who provides him the timber was away on holidays and that he couldn't get the materials until he returned.

Another week or so goes by and he calls and apologizes for not getting the work finished and says he will be there the next day. Next day, no sign of him again. I call him and he does the whole "hello, hello I can't hear you" trick on the phone and then hangs up. Call him again and no answer. Call him from another number and he doesn't answer at all. Have called him several times over the last day and he won't answer the phone.

What can I do about this?

Oryx

Have you anything at all in writing from him? Quotes or reciepts?

Fumes

I have a receipt for the money I gave him. It is from a receipt book and has his name and phone number on it.

Oryx

If he is a registered business you should be able to take small claims proceedings against him.

Paulw

Tell him you're filing with the small claims court. He'll either get out and finish the job, or else you take him to the small claims court and let him answer there.

TheBody

Do you know where he lives? Maybe you could call around to his house. Maybe you could also try calling him off a different phone so that he would not recognise the number when you call.

Fumes

Thanks for the replies. I doubt that he is a registered business. I have tried calling him from a friend's mobile but no joy with that either.

I've googled him and see that he was in court last month for non-payment of car tax and was also fined a couple of years ago for littering, his address show up on these reports so I know it is him. Funny thing is that his address also comes up on a couple of property websites as having been for let a couple of months ago, they now say that the property has been let. Maybe he doesn't even live there anymore.

looksee

And the moral of this story is...never pay up front, especially to a random name from an ad.

If they cannot afford to get the job started they are running a very precarious business. In these difficult times that is understandable, but if they insist on money for materials, ask where they get them from and what they want, and go and buy them yourself and get them delivered to your house.

audi a4 2008

this is the problom going on a lot these days,so called tradesmen(which there not)these people are out to con u plain and simple.and the worse thing about them is they get a hell of a lot of work and just con con con away they are the lowest of the low.

as u gave him 60% up front ,u are now going to have to pay for materails twice,if u are not 2 far from me i will go up and do the job for u for nothing,u get the materails i do the rest for u.pm me if u want.