Evening all from Jersey. Softball training was cut short earlier this evening due to an impending storm, although I think the worst of it has passed by the east of the island as there's only been rain in St Helier, no thunder or lightning. Where we train is a school field near the east of the island.
Good morning all from a cool, dry Weston-super-Mare, this will be my last morning greeting until Friday of next week, I'm off to Norwich to see what changes there have been since I was last there in 1992! Have a good few days till I return!
Morning all, a bright and sunny start to the day that is ideal for being out and about. Have a good trip Dave and don't get lost. Last time I was in Watford I came out of the shopping centre and didn't have a clue where I was. Everything had changed so much there were no familiar buildings to get your bearings from.
Morning all from a bright & sunny Bandit Country...Spring has certainly sprung! Watch out Dave, the A11 has been much improved - no more having to drive through Cider Town!
Big day... the builder has finally arrived to install the porch we wanted in place to keep the house warm over winter ... Incidentally the porch was delivered before Xmas
The only safe way is not to pay anything until the job is done - if someone/company needs paying before they start the job then their financial position should immediately give cause for concern. Quite a number of years ago I had an Irish guy turn up on my doorstep offering to relay my driveway and garden paths for a very cheap price. He wanted me to act as a reference for further business in the area. I agreed but told him that he would not get any money until he'd finished and I was satisfied with the job he'd done. To my surprise he agreed and then his folks did a really fantastic job - dug out all the old concrete with a mini JCB, laid down hardcore,hogging, sharp sand and finished off with paying blocks all wacker-plated in with kiln-dried sand and mortared edges. I had a rather heavy car at the time and told him I wanted to test the drive for a week before paying him. Again he agreed. After a week during which the paving blocks had not shown any sign of movement, I paid him what was a ridiculously low price for the work that had been carried out - in cash of course. Over the next few months he did a number of jobs around the area, bringing his prospects around to see my driveway and to talk to me. 6 months later I had a very irate guy knocking on my door and threatening to sue me. He'd been brought around, talked to me and had his driveway (much bigger than mine) paved. He said it was a right mess and that I was in league with the Irishman to defraud him. He got short shrift from me and was sent away with a flea in his ear - I never heard anything more from him. I did go around and see the driveway in question and, yes, it was a total disaster with blocks spreading and sinking and the edging coming away. There were obvious dips where he was parking his cars. I heard subsequently that most of the jobs that the guy had done after mine were, to say the least, of questionable quality. My driveway and paths, after 15 years and before I moved away, were still immaculate....maybe I was lucky but: the moral of the story - do not pay anything up front. Go elsewhere if necessary.
Its common here in the US to pay for materials on long jobs .And only pay day rates to manual workers
I was caught out last year when I had a new kitchen installed by a company from Glasgow. I had paid a 25% deposit. Two days prior to the agreed installation date, they sent labourers, plumbers and an electrician to clear out the old one and make necessary plumbing & wiring changes. When the installers arrived, the first thing they asked for was the balance of the agreed price - when I queried this, I was told that if I didn't pay they would simply walk away leaving me with an empty shell for a kitchen. After reluctantly stumping up, I then had to regularly contact them over the time it was taking - the agreed three days for installation turned out to be four weeks. The customer, it seems, always has to adhere to the wording of the contract - whereas a contract means little to the service provider. I'd recommend anyone thinking of using this company http://www.dmdesignuk.com/ to think twice...
A couple of years ago, we had a load of bathroom work done (family bathroom completely changed, our en-suite completely changed and a new en-suite added). I agreed a payment plan with the installer, with a payment at the start to cover the large purchases (3 new shower pumps, baths, shower units etc) and then a payment at the end of each of the 3 weeks he took. But I held back a 10% snagging allowance, after 2 weeks when he had fixed some minor issues, I paid him the balance. He did a great job and will look to him when we change the kitchen in a couple of years - shame he is a scummer and I did offer him tea in my Watford team mug!
