Am i allowed to ...

[dontknowitall]

... name and shame a "customer" on the main forums (or in here?) or is that against the rules of the forums?

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

Rather it in here to be honest as we only have your side and we shouldn't be seen as biased in the public forum

 

[dontknowitall]

Wow - that was quick!!

Fair enough. Just a gripe really as no money involved, but I won't name and shame as reading between the lines (although you only wrote one line) it seems you'd rather I didn't...

I've this landlord solicitor who is being a right awkward bully and I just wanted to vent my frustration and copy his email after he's 99% accused me of being a thief despite me not removing anything from his property or charging him for anything.

I'll ponder!

 

[SimonG]

That's not a good combination, landlord and solicitor.

 

[CES]

Id run a mile from one of them! lol

 

[dontknowitall]

I've run more than a mile! Since my sprint he's sent this: (extraction from his email)

"I must admit I am very concerned that people have taken property belonging to my brother and myself away from the property.
Perhaps you could send me a full email."


So far, I've not reacted or responded to this:


How far up should I tell him to push it? And what should the IT be?



(I've not charged him for removing the old electric shower from the wall and I never took it away from the property - or anything else for that matter.)

I did return to the property, not for my return visit, but to take back the new shower which was in its box and paid for by me (and not him).

 

[SimonG]

I would keep everything documented, no phone calls. Just ask him to explain what the issue is whilst you prepare your bill.

 

[dontknowitall]

Thanks for the reminder SimonG - I'm keeping things documented but not sending him a bill because until this morning's email I thought this was a lost cause and didn't want to deal with someone like that in any case. I'm not going to invoice him because I'm sure it would give him more pleasure in not paying me and I didn't trust him not to write awkward letters to use up my time.

Another issue was I thought the gas boiler was unsafe (even though I don't do gas) and during that telephone conversation he was pretty rude when I tried to explain this, saying that I was there to do the shower and questionning what was I doing looking at the boiler.

Ironically, the shower is the same as the neighbour's and their's froze last winter. So if I don't sell it to another customer in next few weeks I thought I'd change the neighbour's one for free!!

 

[SimonG]

It's a fair point about not wanting to deal with people like that. However I don't think you will have heard the last of it. As far as the boiler goes if he kicks up a stink I would just say as a heating professional I was merely making him aware of a potential issue, rather than him not waking up one morning. Probably hacked off the gas engineer who was trying to finish him off! 🙂

 

[secret squirrel]

I'm struggling to read between the lines on this one.

I'd ask him via a letter exactly what he is refering to and is he making a direct accusation at you and exactly what your being accused of.

I'd also send the knob a bill because if you don't then he's either won or you've accepted you've done something?

Prefix your letter with 'without prejudice' this means it can't be used at a latter date against you.

 

[secret squirrel]

When you write your letter I'd forget about the gas as well. Its totally irrelevant to the argument of being accused directly or indirectly of theft.

If he brings it up you say in writing it was an observation and for your advice only. You haven't got someone in to look at it or charge him for it. It was an act of professional courtesy.

 

[leelister6]

Pair of socks in his boiler flue should sort the **** out!

 

[secret squirrel]

OK, this may have annoyed me a bit!

First, of all theft is a criminal offence not a civil one. If you are being accused of theft then he should have involved Plod.

Section 1 of the Theft act 1968 (I think)

This is 100% correct:

A person is guilty of theft 'if he dishonestly appropriates property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it'

If you have a look at the shower and PRESUMING you took it away as rubbish as most of us would do, is the offence of theft complete, no.

You did not dishonestly take it. You've entered the property with permission to remove the shower and cap off the pipe work make safe the electricity. In accordance with your good working practise you took the rubbish away with you.

To complete the act of theft all parts of the act must be complete. So, lets presume you've left the shower the tennant has seen the shower and thrown it away because its junk. Has he then commited theft. This is more likely. Although, again plod would have to prove that is was dishonestly appropriated. The tennants argument being it didn't work therefore it was rubbish and I don't want it cluttering up my house.

This knob is trying it on and is being a bit of a bully, I hated bullies at school hate them even more now.....

Anyway, I'm getting off of my soap box and going to post a new thread about happy things........

 

[Plumbstar Tom]

I'd fight it, it's about principle for me though. Sounds like wright knob though

 

[kirkgas]

YOU MUST INVOICE HIM, if you dont he will state this to all and sundry as an indication of your guilt, who cares whether you get paid or not, it is all about principle and reputation, one will end up with a bad reputation, don't make it you, then when this business is sorted you sue him for non payment

 

[dontknowitall]

He's had to wait for his email but I've told him I've not taken anything.

Hopefully he'll just shut up now but if he doesn't I'll come back here for some suitable suggestions!

Many thanks for all the interesting replies.

PS - I understand the encouragement for me to invoice him but it I feel it weakens his case and, ironically, now the old shower's gone the job's a little more difficult for a new plumber to quote cheaply.

 

[secret squirrel]

Again had to dive off to make sure we're in the plumbers forum and this may need a little edit but the man's a ****!

 

[Puddle]

Again had to dive off to make sure we're in the plumbers forum and this may need a little edit but the man's a ****!

This mans a four star top bloke,What!!!!! :laugh3:

ps the forum you are in is below and above ''reply to thread '' box at top of page

 

[dontknowitall]

One of my troubles with this was that if I did the job and wasn't paid I've a 400 mile trip to fetch my money by physical means (e.g. standing in his office until I get paid). A whole day's driving and cost of travel isn't worth it for £300 which is why I've backed out of this job.

 

[capitanpugwash]

One of my troubles with this was that if I did the job and wasn't paid I've a 400 mile trip to fetch my money by physical means (e.g. standing in his office until I get paid). A whole day's driving and cost of travel isn't worth it for £300 which is why I've backed out of this job.

If you're going to make the journey to stand in his office, you may as well shell out an additional £50 for a large sign stating that he is dishonest and has refused to pay a hard working tradesman for works carried out. Make it a day and stand outside his law office until you get the money for the expense of doing this back too!

:double ****:

 

[capitanpugwash]

I love that there is a symbol in advanced of a smiley with two middle fingers up. When you hover over, it says "double f u c k" which is rather risque, but when you post it, you just get what appears at the bottom of the above post ie nothing!!

You get the gist ;-)

 

[secret squirrel]

This mans a four star top bloke,What!!!!! :laugh3:

ps the forum you are in is below and above ''reply to thread '' box at top of page

Thanks you wouldn't have thought it was that difficult to work out really....

You need to see me with a spanner!

 

[dontknowitall]

Latest saga is he's emailed to ask if the £325 is the final bill or is the electrician's bill on top. (Electrician's bill is extra.) I wish he'd listen when on the telephone and read his emails properly.

He's asked for a response as he wants to get the job started.

Unfortunately I think my diary's full until Sept.









2014

 

[secret squirrel]

Latest saga is he's emailed to ask if the £325 is the final bill or is the electrician's bill on top. (Electrician's bill is extra.) I wish he'd listen when on the telephone and read his emails properly.

He's asked for a response as he wants to get the job started.

Unfortunately I think my diary's full until Sept.









2014

He's a solicitor, therefore reading a document and understanding it is not within his remit. Bless him he probably hasn't really progressed from crayons and colouring books.

Theres just too many posts here at the moment that are stressing me out, people trying to take advantage of us.

I feel the need to go and finish making my bean bag on my singer confidence sewing machine. What I don't understand is why haven't I been given abuse for owning a sewing machine! I will have to post pictures up of my cushions.... laughing yet!

 

[dontknowitall]

He's a solicitor, therefore reading a document and understanding it is not within his remit. Bless him he probably hasn't really progressed from crayons and colouring books.

Theres just too many posts here at the moment that are stressing me out, people trying to take advantage of us.

I feel the need to go and finish making my bean bag on my singer confidence sewing machine. What I don't understand is why haven't I been given abuse for owning a sewing machine! I will have to post pictures up of my cushions.... laughing yet!

I enjoyed your post!

Re the sewing machine I have learned never to under estimate a fellow citizen. Most of us have a fairly secret talent which we keep to ourselves. One reason I enjoy (most) of my elderly customers is when I wring out what they did in the past. Sometimes extreme hardship but they look on it as experience and part of life and hold no bitterness. It's not just the elderly though. One of the school's teachers teaches German. He is also fluent in French, Spanish, Italian and two others (I think Polish and Russian). He can also get by in other languages as well.

I won't go near a sewing machine as I hate working with material. It moves. You can put your knee or foot on a block of wood before you saw it. The only way you can hold material is in your teeth, then it's not flat and it goes soggy.