Wrexham builder who left householder with no bathroom facilities prosecuted

A local builder who left a householder with no bathroom facilities has been prosecuted.

Steven Hughes of 1 Manley Court, Manley Road, Wrexham, LL13 8HE pleaded guilty to two offences under Trading Standards law at Wrexham Magistrates court.

He was ordered to pay compensation to his customer of £10,000. He was also fined and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £2,117.

Hughes originally obtained the work by responding to a request made on Facebook for someone who could fix the householder’s gutters.

The case arose after the householder complained that work agreed and paid for had not been carried out or had been carried out so badly as to have been worthless.

The complaint followed months of delay after the householder first contacted Hughes to do a minor guttering repair.

Whilst attending to this Hughes took the opportunity to diagnose serious issues with the chimneys of the property that meant they were at risk of collapse.

The householder agreed to pay for work to make the chimneys safe and then further agreed for Hughes to take over the refitting of her bathroom from an existing contractor who Hughes said was not capable of completing the work.

Payments over this period totalled £4,800 but Hughes stopped working on the property and the bathroom was never finished.

An independent surveyor’s report commissioned as part of the investigation concluded that:

• The external works were of very poor standard and overcharged.
• Remedial work was required to the guttering rainwater pipes and chimneys
• The bathroom works were incomplete and of very poor incorrectly detailed specifications
• The bathroom will need to be started again from scratch with the works programmed in the correct order
• The majority of the monies paid to date had been wasted as much of the work will need to be remediated at additional cost
• The contractor has not undertaken the project in a manner expected of a competent contractor

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Planning and Public Protection said: “The facts of this case are disturbing.

“A vulnerable member of our community has been subjected to months of stress and disruption in her own home.

“She has been overcharged and left without basic facilities by a trader who was unwilling and possibly incapable of carrying out the work he had undertaken to do.

“It is reassuring to see that the court has taken this matter seriously and has used its power to make an award of compensation to the victim that will allow the householder to pay a competent trader for the completion of work to a satisfactory standard.

“I hope that this case will serve as a deterrent to anyone who is tempted to exploit vulnerable householders.”

Roger Mapleson, Trading Standards and Licensing Lead for Wrexham Council said: “I would urge anybody seeking to get work done on their property to think very carefully before seeking recommendations on social media.

“As well as getting genuine recommendations you are also likely to be targeted by rogue traders who are looking to make a fast buck at your expense.”

Wrexham Council have also issued advice to those who are considering having work done on their property:

• Get recommendations from friends, relatives and people you know and trust.
• Don’t be pressurised into a decision and don’t do business with cold callers.
• Make sure you have full address and contact details of the trader
• Ask for proof of any memberships/qualifications/builders schemes they say that they are a part of and carry out checks to ensure that they are correct
• Make sure they have insurance
• Ask for contacts and addresses of where they have done similar works so you can contact the individuals to verify the traders claims and standards of their work.
• You can check their accounts at Companies House if they are a limited company.
• Get a written quote and contract which must include details of your right to cancel within 14 days.
• Never pay for all the work up front.
• Don’t advertise directly for builders or traders on social media and be wary of any that respond directly to a request for recommendation
• If the trader is able to start the work immediately, be cautious

If you are concerned about a trader who is doing work for you or has done work you can seek advice from Citizens Advice Consumer Services on 0808 223 1133 (0808 223 1144 for Welsh) here.