Shoddy Builders - Website created to name and shame

nads205

New Member
Nov 30, 2012
11
0
0
Hi guys,

I have had a bad experience with some builders. An estate agent called Realocate in Streatham, South London offered to complete a refurbishment of my flat in Croydon and then rent it out. They were a recommendation from my cousin - so I went full steam ahead with them.

They were instructed to do a full top to bottom refurb on my flat. Croydon has had a tarnished image of late so I decided to do the flat up really nicely with Villeroy and Boch appliances and a Hacker kitchen ordered from Germany finished off with Porcelonsa tiles.

A chap called Tariq runs the agency and manages building work they do - he came over and quoted a build time of approximately 5 weeks. Work began fairly swiftly but then problems emerged. Numerous leaks onto the flats below, a builder accidentally putting their foot through the ceiling below and numerous other things. After 3 months on site, I was called again by the flat below and the adjoining one reporting yet another leak. I went to site and decided to ask the builders to stop work. I left them for a few hours and returned to find all my appliances and the boiler had been pinched!

Anyway I was so shocked that I wanted to warn others in case they are considering using them. I have created a website with photos and videos of their workmanship and will be adding more photos and stuff to the site over the coming few weeks.

Take a look here: www.realocateSW16.co.uk

Realocate Estate Agents in Norbury, London SW16 along side Galaxy Builders.
 

nads205

New Member
Nov 30, 2012
11
0
0
Lol not at all. Estate (and management agents) have lots of builders and tradesmen working for them. I often find them a good source of contacts.

However on this occasion I had a professional building firm also quote me and was going to use them, however a family member (thanks very much - you know who you are!) insisted on me using this particular company.

Here is a link to the website with their work they did: www.realocateSW16.co.uk

Here is a link to my thread http://whatconsumer.co.uk/forum/builders/22016-shoddy-builders-website-created-name-shame.html#post37500

They are Relocate based in Norbury South London SW16.
 

ALewis

Moderator
Nov 23, 2010
691
4
0
South Wales
Well that's news to me then, but I've never needed the use of an estate agent. Though personally I'd be VERY picky with who I use, especially seeing as it is a negative licensing business.
 

Witch consumer

Moderator
Sep 8, 2008
1,593
3
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Debtors retreat
It really, really, really annoys me when people drag up numerous old threads and make banal comments just so they can post a link. If we think it is worth posting, we will do it for you.

As moderators, we check every new post to see if someone needs help and we have better things to do than waste time like this.

If I haven't cooled down by the time I get back, your thread is going.
 

ALewis

Moderator
Nov 23, 2010
691
4
0
South Wales
It really, really, really annoys me when people drag up numerous old threads and make banal comments just so they can post a link. If we think it is worth posting, we will do it for you.

As moderators, we check every new post to see if someone needs help and we have better things to do than waste time like this.

If I haven't cooled down by the time I get back, your thread is going.
Oh the times I'd had loved to delete people's pointless 'oh that's a shame' posts on threads from 2009 lol. Ya need another mod :D
 

nads205

New Member
Nov 30, 2012
11
0
0
It really, really, really annoys me when people drag up numerous old threads and make banal comments just so they can post a link. If we think it is worth posting, we will do it for you.

As moderators, we check every new post to see if someone needs help and we have better things to do than waste time like this.

If I haven't cooled down by the time I get back, your thread is going.
Apologies - I asked someone to repost the link, but no one did (I think I gave it a few hours) so hence doing what I did. I had no idea that moderators looked out for people trying to post. Had I known that I would have waited longer.

Again if its grating you I understand. Kill it. Last thing I want to do is to make mods lives harder.
 

Jim 109

New Member
Feb 4, 2013
1
0
0
Beware read this before you us this company:
SAFESTORE

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY

The theft of valuable possessions by Safestore London:

Recently a friend of mine was working in Congo on a humanitarian project. It had been explained to the store that he was unable to make payment until my return to the UK due to my accounts being frozen due to his financial information being hacked into while I was on location. Nevertheless company took it upon itself to sell all of his worldly possessions which had been amassed over many years. These included an extensive collection of valuable art, antiques and furniture etc The total value of these items ran into hundreds of thousands of pounds. He had also offered that the store manager examine in his absence the content and take one or two items as collateral which would have more than covered any debt.

The store claims to have sold the entire contents for just over £2000 which leads one to the conclusion that these goods have been purposely been sold for a tiny fraction of there worth in collusion with the company and a third party. The company failed to provide an inventory of the goods removed from the unit, to whom they where given to, the individual sale prices of any of the items and any form of breakdown.

My friend contacted the company for a full explanation of your actions only to be given a series of completely contradictory explanations and excuses and a virtual demand that he accept their findings.

A police report has been made implicating your company in the theft of his possessions, a further report is to be made with further findings uncovered by two investigative journalists.

The directors of this company are:

Richard Grainger, Non-Executive Chairman
Peter Gowers, Chief Executive Officer
Richard Hodsden, Chief Financial Officer
Frederic Vecchioli, President, UPP
Adrian Martin, Senior Independent Director
Alan Lewis, Non-Executive Director
Keith Edelman, Non-Executive Director

We would strongly recommend that anyone storing goods of any value read this before doing so.
 

ghostywolverine

New Member
Feb 4, 2013
2
0
0
hi im new to this so bear with me my wife and i have just had a conservatory built and have just found out that the company high spec windows and conservatories have installed the wrong roof glass and after last disscussion with the owner they have decided to do nothing about it what i need to know is does anybody else have any stories about this firm there business is located in birmingham please reply to my e mail address
 

ghostywolverine

New Member
Feb 4, 2013
2
0
0
hi im new to this so bear with me my wife and i have just had a conservatory built and have just found out that the company high spec windows and conservatories have installed the wrong roof glass and after last disscussion with the owner they have decided to do nothing about it what i need to know is does anybody else have any stories about this firm there business is located in birmingham please reply to my e mail address

hi we asked for activ blue with climate control properties what they put in was just active blue there paperwork only says active blue s/c we assumed the s/c was solar climate control
 

johnamor

New Member
Feb 21, 2013
1
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0
Re: Shoddy Builders - WARNING

WARNING – ABOUT ‘ARCHITECTECTURE DIRECT’ – DR GILES LLOYD AND TOBY WOODS/MATTHEW BROOKE

My step daughter has had her life savings stolen (£96,000.00) and I am writing this to stop these men opening another company and doing this to someone else, not only did this company take her money but they structurally damaged her home; didn’t pay its office workers, building regs, suppliers, rent nor builders; then folded. She is not the only one, and the company had more than one charge against it. I don’t want them to do this to anyone else.

They charged clients VAT and were not registered, the front man posed as an architect and Dr Giles lloyd, MD, told workers, asking to be paid, that the company had no money whilst trading.
The company director was Dr Giles Lloyd, who works for Merck Chemicals, he worked with Matt Brooke, who had various aliases, I was told; Matt AKA Toby, is Giles’s brother in law, married to Giles’s sister.
This is a picture of the man who posed as an architect and goes by different names.
(see pictures on blog)

1. Toby Rooke Wood
2. Toby Lloyd Wood
3. Mathew Brooke
4. Toby Woods

(see picture on blog website)

This (above) is a picture of Dr Giles Lloyd; he lives in Southampton and works for Merck Chemicals. He has a listing on Linkedin – please see below.

Dr. Giles Lloyd has worked in the field of organic electronics for over 13 years. This includes receiving a PhD from the University of Liverpool specializing in thin film transistor design and development using organic semiconductors. For the last 8 years he has worked on material and process development at Avecia and more recently, Merck, following the acquisition of the Avecia group in March 2005. His role involved material development and device optimization leading on to customer project management. He now works closely with Merck’s global customer base to optimize and improve Merck’s material and formulation products in the Organic Electronics industry.

When Architect Direct began ‘work’ on her house; for months this was (3 pictures below) the only water she had, a cold water pipe in the bathroom with a see through cloth for privacy, with nowhere to wash. I have a list of structural damage in a structural survey, one of two surveys she had to have done to ensure the new builders could work in safety.


I have many documents I am happy to share from other people who have had problems.
Someof my own documents are:
• Structural survey which estimates she is owed £92K; money given to Architect Direct for work not done and remidial work needed to rectify the damage.
• A document signed on Architect Direct letter head by Matt acknowleding in the receipt of £58,500.00 and that she would be paid £49,700.00(she agreed to pay for the foundations which I believed had been done correctly). Later she found out no steels had been used when digging the foundations out, one of the reasons the house ‘moved’. In this document the company agreed to pay her £2000.00 per week. The first payment was made, the second, a signed cheque by Giles Lloyd, bounced (I have the signed cheque).
• Document acknowleding the first installment of payments for work to be carried out for over £11K signed by Giles Lloyd.
• Signed JCT contract
• Various documents acknowleding the receipt of monies.
Her solicitor asked many times for remediation and Giles lloyd refused to agree - she was told her next move was to take the company and Giles Lloyd to court but as the limited company had no money there was little point in spending more money to win and receive nothing.
The police said there was little they could do. They have been reported them to Trading Standards.
to see a list of others who have had money taken by Matt Brook. please go to the blog: if you google the heading on this message you will find the blog with pictures. thanks for reading
 

musictechguy

New Member
Mar 9, 2014
1
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0
Beware of:

Mr Stephen Peak (Steve Peak), Peak Plumbing
Gas Registration Number 111421
17,Wynmore Crescent
Bramhope
Leeds LS16 9DH

Shame I can't post the URL showing the photos of his work, thanks to restrictions on this forum.

Nightmare Boiler Experience

Are you thinking of installing a new boiler and do you live near or in Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom?

If so, you should read this short story about my Nightmare Boiler Experience



October 2012

I had a new combination boiler chosen and fitted by Stephen Peak.

From day 1, the hot water failed to heat properly, with it taking 3 minutes to reach a hot temperature, sometimes never reaching it. An awful smell, like rotten eggs, was coming from the boiler every day.



November 2012

I called Stephen Peak out to look at the boiler. I was concerned because of the dismal performance of the hot water system, and also because when I came back into the property every day there was a terrible smell of sewage.

Stephen Peak fitted a modification to prevent the smell. I tried to demonstrate the poor performance of the hot water, but Stephen Peak told me that I should allow the modification to dry before turning on the hot water system.



December 2012

I was still concerned about a strange and disturbing smell coming from the boiler. I invited Stephen Peak over. Despite, to my mind, the smell being very obvious coming from the boiler, Stephen Peak told me that he couldn’t smell anything. As with just about every meeting we had, he walked out of the door before the conversation had concluded. As he walked away from the property Stephen Peak told me that if I had an further problems then I should contact the manufacturer of the boiler.



January 2013

Instead of contacting the boiler manufacturer, I contacted Gas Safe. If you ever need advice, then contact Gas Safe by clicking here .

The Gas Safe inspector didn’t need to approach the boiler. Upon entering the kitchen he told me I had a serious gas leak and he shut the boiler down straight away.

He then prepared a report, which made several points, some of which were as follows:
•The gas supply defect was classified as immediately dangerous.
•The nut on the boiler isolation valve was hand tight only. (i.e. the inspector was able to unscrew the nut by hand).
•The flu termination was within 300mm of a window and not as per manufacturer’s installation instructions.
•The flu elbow-retaining clip was not fully pushed home as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
•The commissioning benchmark certificate was not fully completed and therefore was not compliant with building regulations.

Stephen Peak was instructed to carry out corrective measures.

Once the measures were carried out, the performance of the boiler was still extremely poor. The plasterwork was also in a shocking state. The tap in the bathroom dribbles hot water and then often just stops.



Now you know my story. Now it's time to make up your own mind. Who will fit your boiler?
 

Ardent1000

New Member
Aug 31, 2014
13
0
0
Avoid a builder called Mark Fittes like the plague his latest company is called

WeatherAll (NE)
8 Fellside
Ponteland
Northumberland
NE20 9JW

Worst work I have ever seen and has a habit of taking money and walking off the job. He also charged us 20% VAT when he wasn't even VAT Registered.
 

Ardent1000

New Member
Aug 31, 2014
13
0
0
Worst Cowboy I have ever come across is Mark Fitttes.

You can see pictures of his work on the North East Section of the badwork.co.uk/ website.

WeatherAll (NE) is owned by Mark Fittes who uses dodgy subcontractors and charged us VAT despite not being VAT Registered.

Terrible Builder and a nasty piece of work.

You will find him currently operating in the Ponteland and North East Area.

Avoid Mark Fittes and his companies (WeatherAll (NE)) like the plague.

Fittes likes to drive around in his girlfriends black Range Rover but don't let that fool you, he doesn't own the house he lives in, rents his tools and machinery and has previous unpaid CCJ's.

The company trade address is -

WeatherAll
8 Fellside
Ponteland
Northumberland
NE20 9JW


The company operates in the Ponteland/Newcastle/Northumberland and Durham areas.

The owner and Director Mark Fittes is a real piece of work and his companies workmanship is terrible.

WeatherAll (NE) are among the worst builders I have come across. The owner ended up trying to intimidate my dad who is in his 70's after making the worst jobs I have ever seen in my life. His company even walked off the job once they had taken a sufficient amount of my parents money on 28th July 2014, leaving an awful unfinished dangerous mess.

We later found out from Trading Standards that he wasn't even VAT registered yet he charged us 20% VAT.

The only time you see the Mark Fittes is when he is trying to extract money out of people.

In terms of my parents job Mark Fittes WeatherAll just used cheap subcontractors, cheap materials and cheap hired equipment, whilst I have never actually witnessed him getting his own hands dirty. My poor parents are now having to pay a reputable builder to repair the original poor work, so are having to pay twice. The reputable builder even stated that it was the worst work he had seen in all his years in the trade, as did a second builder we also had take a look and give us an estimate. Indeed he was so horrified he even offered to write a report with regard to the poor workmanship, poor materials and numerous faults.

Trading Standards told both his salesman (verbally) and him (via letter) to give my parents their money back including £1,376 VAT, whilst the police who came out to visit my parents agreed that what he had done constituted Fraud and I should imagine the VAT people will be wanting their money back from numerous other previous jobs which by all accounts run in to many hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Furthermore most of his transactions are on a cash basis, which makes me wonder if he hasn't paid VAT since his present company was set up on the 11th June 2013, does this man even keep reliable books in relation to income tax, VAT and National Insurance.

Every time you mention this man and his companies to the authorities, the first thing they say is that he's well known to us. Indeed the Director of the company has previous unpaid CCJ's if you care to check on-line.

Luckily my dad is one of five brothers and my mum also comes from a large family so the word has been spread far and wide. My Dad has also spread the word at the local Golf Club and across the area I live in. My sister was also horrified by the mes left by WeatherAll as was her husband as well as other family members.

Take my advice and steer well clear of WeatherAll (NE) and Mark Fittes who is total cowboy, who drives around in his girlfriends black range rover but has very little in the way of assets himself according to Trading Standards.

You will know him if you see him, as he's a smarmy and slimy type of individual, he also sometimes employs a fat salesman called Neil Farrer.

Previous companies owned by this individual include WeatherAll Home Improvements at Unit 1, Front Street, Klondike, Cramlington, North East Home Improvements at Unit 10, Imex Business Centre Birtley, North East Building Solutions which has an address at Durham Road in Low Fell, Sunderland based BSG, and his latest company WeatherAll (NE) which is Ponteland based.

Mark Fittes companies have a nasty habit of going belly up after a year or two and he constantly tries to get more money up front out of customers. Whilst Neil Farrer and Mark Fittes both have a history and were both Directors at BSG Contractors Limited (Sunderland) and North East Building Solutions (Low Fell) with Farrer having further building companies in relation to Angel Home Developments Limited (Sunderland) which a month after being dissolved became Angel Home Improvements Limited (Sunderland) before also being dissolved.

WeatherAll are currently Ponteland based and operate in Northumberland and the North East of England.

You have been warned.

Any complaints about Mark Fittes, Neil Farrer and WeatherAll or their subcontractors should be made straight to Northumberland Trading Standards, Northumbria Police/Durham Constabulary, HMRC and other such authorities.