A few weeks ago I posted the story about Nigel Gray the builder who pulled down a conservatory in Shoreham because a ‘rogue customer’ would not pay for the work he had completed.
Nigel contacted me on this website and we spoke on the phone, and he told me about all the publicity he had received, including being headline news in New Zealand! I’m sure Nigel was not expecting the level of national and international recognition he has received when he picked up his lump hammer!
He also told me that he had been contacted by a chap called Kevin who was also experiencing a similar problem with an awkward customer, and they had set up a new website called roguetrader.com.
The website is designed to continue the campaign to change the law, and put in safeguards for companies who are unlucky enough to do business with rogue customers. There’s a petition to sign and a blog, and all the latest news about how the campaign is doing.
For more information visit http://roguecustomer.com/ – Sign the Petition!!!
Tags: Rogue Customers
Loading ...
I thought the customer’s always right? Don’t you think your walking on dangerous ground? I’d love to argue the other side of the coin but I don’t think it’s allowed in our business. I’ve always wanted to be able to say something about the customers that get 10 quotes but I want to save you the trouble of editing again even though you do a very good job of it.
I’m not sure devoting so much time to catching out rogue customers will send out a very good message to all the other customers. Even though I appreciate what Nigel the builder did was amusing and understandable I don’t think it was the right thing to do. Will other customers realy respect him for doing that? Maybe in an ideal world but they’re more likely to be quite scared of him for being mad in reality. He could have ended up getting in serious trouble as well if someone had got hurt.
I don’t think any professional lawyers would advise the action that he took and nothing has been gained. He’s wasted even more of his time and there’s definitely no chance of ever being paid now.
I think Nigel has got a lot of support from what I hear. But I agree – we can’t go around knocking conservatories down all the time.
The point I’m trying to make is that our industry gets knocked quite a bit in the media, and occasionally ‘rogue customers’ can behave as badly as the ‘rogue traders’ among us.
[...] also been a number of visits to my site from people interested in Nigel Gray the builder who pulled down a conservatory for a ‘rogue customer’ who wouldn’t pay. There [...]
I happen to think this is a very good web site. I am a joiner by trade and occasionally you may find yourself in a position where although the work has been completed satisfactory, the customer still will not pay. Eventually when this web site has matured it will enable other tradesman to see at a glance if the customer they are pricing a job for is going to be good for the money. If the trader has not been paid for any obscure reason he can write his comments on this web site thus allerting other fellow tradesmen to the problems he has encountered. Well done Nigel for given us a fair playing field. All too often we see these rogue trader programmes which only serves to give all traders a bad name.
Well done for setting this site up. quite a number of my friends have gone out of business because customers will not pay up.
Its about time customers pay the going rate and not expect you to work for the minimum wage.
It was only the other day that a old man thought I worked for £5 an hour as a plumber.
I really agree with Nigel and why shouldn’t he knock down what he had built and paid for! we have a small builders and do a good job for a fair price,we can’t afford to do work for nothing. Why do people always think of cowboy builders? there are just as many cowboy customers, the way some people live today is to always look for a freebie even if someone else is having to pay . We would remove our materials from a job if they were not paid for too! fight back builders!!!
I think Nigel Gray is doing a good thing exposing customers whom don’t pay up.
My stonemason friend has now gone bankrupt all for the sake of £900. It was his last chance to see him through until the next job came in so I lent him the money in advance of his supposed to be getting it at the end of May.
Now the customer has disappeared and my friend has gone under….. I won’t get my money back from him as he now has none. I would not have been a good friend if I had not lent him the money …
Myself, I got a County Court Judgment against a tenant in Grimsby some years ago, never got the rent he owed me (£1700) as he moved back with him Mum so had nothing to reclaim.
The Law does not protect the kind decent person and I am not going to be one of those any more – what a shame it comes to this – well done Nigel Gray.
hi nigel i have a limited constuction company in halifax west yorkshire three years ago my other director ran away from the company when we instaled sage on our computer and he realised the company was £45,000 in debt i am a bricklayer by trade he priced the jobs ,cotract managed and delt with the paper work after him leaving i had to bring my wife in as director . then i had to change rolls and become paper work man as well as all the other tasks after looking through his paper work i realised 2 members of one family had not paid us a total of £14,000 a local mp who we had constructed some kennels for had taken us for £3,000 another couple in brighouse talked me into allowing a 6 month retention of £1500 after id finished there 6 bedroom detached house and finnal payment was due i agreed as the work was of exceptional quality but 6 months later when i rang for the monies owed she refused to pay when aproached the people in mention they blamed all the none payments due to bad management of my ex partner , i was very naive then and took it on the chin .the lucky thing was i had a lot of work in frount of me so i spent the next 2 .5 years working to make sure i paid all my suppliers /creditors who were very understanding but christmas last year a company who needed help in a reastraunt renovation and a house renovation in london went bust on me taking me for another £3000 but still own a reastraunt in halifax {moderated} of huddersfield is now argueing my finnal bill of £1500 and {moderated} is refusing to any corrispondence with me for my finnal payment of £1000 after building him 2 houses in halifax . all my work has come from recomendation and word of mouth ive never advertisd . due to the recession no work has come in in the last mounth so with the little bit of savings i had ive bought a cafe for my wife wich takes only what i was earning a day . so reality has set in im going to have to sell my 5 bedroom family home wich ive spent the last 9 years renovating and bust my constuction company i am also a nhbc regesterd house builder and all ways tried to do everything right .the family who took me for £14,000 have just sold the house we built them for £600,000 i dont know why or what good telling you this will do but you are a top bloke and im going through exactly what you did . the only thing is ive no will to try again in the building game and fight these people keep your head up and fight for the right folk left in this cesspit of a country. yours sincerely ………….terry parker
Well done Nigel for getting a program on TV highlighting customers that will not pay, It,s got so bad in our business now that I started to even tip off my competitors by email who we were having trouble getting money out of, It really works! It stops rougue customers building up debt with 5 or 6 suppliers as we know when they call us we need to take payment in advance, It really helps with relationships between competitors too! Other than that we still get stung and there’s nothing we can do about it! What a stupid law, I think Nigel and the guy on Teeside were right to go a reposes their goods, The days are gone where a mans word is his bond, I know guys running around in Ferrari’s that have robbed goods from us and others then gone bust repeatedly and started again under a very similar name. They should be imprisoned or better still used as bloody as cosmetics test dummies instead of monkeys, See how they like having crap sprayed in their face like we have to put up with! Rant over, Good luck Nigel!
I totally 100% back what Nigel is trying to achieve. I am currently owed nearly £4000.00. My tenant moved in my house sat there for about 8 months and then done a runner. I have been told i probably will never see this money. How is it that people can get away with this. I am also a self employed kitchen fitter and i am coming across more people than ever that want something for nothing. I am behind you Nigel 100%
Hi Nigel, Loved your show. We are a steelwork/fabrication company who were ripped off by a Guy called {moderated}. He had several companies, {moderated},etc., This guy lives in a Massive House in Much Birch, Hereford & has a history of not paying people. He Ripped us off for more than £56k & we took legal action, only to be fobbed off by him providing medical letters each time he should have appeared in court! He cost us probably £15k in legal fees & still got nowhere!
I was very intrested in the programme. I have my own heating and plumbing company which supplies services to M&E companys in the commercial sector. Over the past 3 years I have been taken for 75k. I dont know about cowbay customers but I sure do know about cowbay companys who want pay. I would be intrested in doing a programme about them and there underhanded way of not paying subcontractors on time and for the work they have carried out. If you are intrested please contact me. Keep up the good work.
The solution is simple. Escrow.
The customer makes the payment in full for the works to an independent (legal?) company up front. The builder also deposits a returnable surety and liability insurance details. They all have an agreement in place for when funds should be released, and the escrow company handles the simple case of handing over the money as conditions are met, arbitrating any disputes.