A solicitor client is refusing to pay for a new kitchen and bathroom installed in his property. **Settled**

[Eckington]

I agree. Security and in confidence are key issues here. I am glad you have raised it. I was feeling a bit uneasy about putting those redacted correspondence into the public, albeit registered members, domain.

 

As I am new to the site, where will I find the admin email address or could you just message it me.

 

One last thing.

 

Can you provide me with a link or something so that I know who I am corresponding with and the specialist skills that you have to help me

 

. I hope you appreciate my position.

 

Thanks

Edited December 6, 2021 by dx100uk
added A few blank lines only..dx

[BankFodder]

If you click the link – admin email address, you will find it there.

The rest of the correspondence we want – redacted – uploaded on the forum please.

I'm afraid I'm not prepared to validate myself or the site team or the value of the forum.

You'll have to look around and decide for yourself.

You could go back to your friend who recommended us and tell him/her that you don't trust their judgement .

[Eckington]

I will click on the link. There's no

need for me to contact my friend, he speaks very highly of the CAG and is following the correspondence between us.

 I'm just a little nervous that's all. Its all very new to me in many ways and I hope you will forgive any hesitancy on my part. As Delboy would say "he who dares" so let's go for it and win

[BankFodder]

We don't generally lose – but at the end of the day don't forget it's your case to win or to lose and you have to exercise your own judgement

[BankFodder]

Got it. Thanks

Let's see the correspondence when you can get it redacted.

[dx100uk]

Post hidden

 

please do not use word all your pers details and in file info/properties

 

please read our upload guide carefully use one mass pdf only

 

and try and add a few blank lines to your post too rather than one block of text

 

thankyou

 

Dx

[BankFodder]

I'm terribly sorry but you have uploaded nine separate documents – but my site team colleague above asked you to upload the documents in one mass PDF.
I think I've already made the point that we do this free of charge in addition to our own lives and we don't have administrative support. We really need you to help us and to take care of the administrative part and that means we need you to combine the files into one PDF, properly ordered and to upload that file.

We are very eager to help you – especially to help you deal with bullying solicitor but you really aren't making it easy for us and it seems to me that this thread has been going on for almost a week and has made pretty well no progress.
I really do think we need to get going

[dx100uk]

Use pdfmerge and pdfreducer websites listed in our upload guide

[Eckington]

Sorry. 

I was a little flustered yesterday downloading the PDF correspondence into word format, redacting them and then resaving them in pdf. 9 files in total. I was stressed and felt pressurized to post the details as soon as possible to help trigger the help I was seeking.

I will create the one pdf this morning using the info you have provided.

 

[dx100uk]

The easiest way is as is described in our upload <<clickme guide

use jpg files and Redact each page in a photo prog or mspaint etc

Then convert en masse to pdf using the websites listed

 

There is no then need to use word at all and thus risk pers info/ security being accidentally advertised.

 

Its why we wrote the upload guide.our and your GDPR regulation s are fully met.

 

Dx

[Eckington]

Apologies once again.

 

Please find the single redacted file attached. 

 

Due to the tone of the client letter received last week on 30.11.21, my son and I have responded to it today.

 

We would have wished to have your guidance and support before doing so but gathering all the information into the format you required was more time consuming than we had envisaged.

 

Sorry but we felt it was very important that we respond and give our account of the events , problems and issues that applied during the project. We used very basic language and hope that it affect the advice about how to proceed further.

 

I can assure you that there will be no more correspondence without your guidance in future. We hope you understand. 

Binder of all redacted files Businness to Client sent to CAG.pdf

[BankFodder]

Thanks for the documents. I have to say that I'm trying to understand it all. Some of the documents run dated and also it's never really clear who is writing to who unless one looks very carefully.

He has set out some kind of letter of claim. I have to say that his correspondence is very poorly written and pretty pompous and I'm going to say now that I think it's a shame you even bothered to respond to it.

 

I think you are just feeding the troll.

I don't think he has any intention of suing you for anything – but simply wants you to back down on the entire bill and get away Scott free.
On the other hand, if you sue him for your money then I'm certain that he will respond with a counterclaim for at least some of the things that he is referring to.



As far as I can gather, his last communication to you was on 27 October and you responded very recently. Is that correct?

It will be very nice to get a bullet pointed outline of all the issues – who is saying what to who.

He has managed to muddy the waters so much that it is really quite difficult to discern.

 

[Eckington]

1 hour ago, BankFodder said:

 

Hi,

To help your understanding I have created a timeline of events for the project from the start point to now.

I hope it shows you how the project was actioned and the dates for the correspondence.

Copy is attached. I await your comments

Solicitor project estimated timeline.pdf

[Eckington]

With each letter that we have received from the client, the tone was getting worse and the claims against my business were potentially more damaging. It made us very uncomfortable and nervous.

The letter from him on 30.11.21 gave us 7 days to respond to his letter of 27.10.21.

My son and I sent a letter of response yesterday (7 days) believing it was better to do so than not and because I was struggling redacting the correspondence. 

 

I now see your problem. When I merged all the correspondence into one file, I should have added a header to each letter to indicate the writer. Sorry.

 

I hope the timeline helps 

[BankFodder]

Thanks for the timeline.

Any chance that you could produce it in a Microsoft Word format tabulated form – maybe with three columns.

First column – the date
column two – your comments
column three – his comments.

It's such a mess and I'm just trying to dovetail in a complete view of he said she said in the right order.

I don't know why it is such a mess – and I suppose that a great deal of it is because of his disruptive correspondence.

I'm sorry that it is taking so long but I think it's worth being methodical and trying to understand a very clear pattern of what has happened here.

It certainly seems to me from your timeline though that you have communicated with him all the way and at several points he has accepted the situation and one might say that he is now reneging on that.

Has he actually criticised the quality of the work at all? Was it simply an issue about the delays?

[Eckington]

There were no complaints raised about the quality of the workmanship.

Only when we received the letter on 8th Sept did we realise that there were any issue at all.

Then when we had completed the work, we raised the letter with the client and he said Tear it up. We shook hands and parted. Days later we sent the invoice for payment.

 

I have edited my timeline spreadsheet to hopefully make it a little more clearer. Its not quite as you asked but i think its is clearer. Please view and advise. 

 

Solicitor project estimated timeline.pdf

[BankFodder]

Thank you.

I think it would be helpful if you could have a look at his letter – the one that itemises all the issues he is raising and give a point by point commentary.

Once again, a tabulated form would be best

[Eckington]

We have done this or at least most of it.

We added our comments to his points. They are on the letter we sent on 7.12.21.

Our points are written in RED.

 

Please have another look at the last four pages of the redacted file of correspondence that i posted yesterday

[BankFodder]

If you don't mind I'd really like in a tabulated form.

It's easier for me to deal with.

[Eckington]

Attached is the timeline in the format you requested

Solicitor project estimated timeline Business v Client.pdf

[Eckington]

Attached is the tabulated format of the Client points with my Business responses.

I hope this helps

27.10.21 Solicitor letter point with Business reply 7.12.21.pdf

[BankFodder]

Is he still embarked on his pre-action protocol malarkey?

Do you know if the property has now been rented out?

Is the property a house – divided into flats or bedsits?

Do you know if smoke alarms have been fitted and any other sensors needed for commercial lettings?

Has it got gas central heating? Has it got a valid gas safety certificate?

Has it got an electrical safety certificate – needed for commercial lettings?

 

Did your client discuss the fact that it was intended to be a rental property?
And your client only recently bought it or had he rented it out before?

[Eckington]

We have received no feedback from our response letter dated 7th Dec.

 

The client has advised on one of his letters that he rented out the property on 29th Nov. Nearly 2.5 months after the project was completed.

 

The property is a house. It was is home but he was moving out because of work commitments so this gave him the opportunity to rent it out. Yes I knew this was his intention.

 

I am unable to comment on smoke alarm, gas or electrical certificates but I will ask the engineers that he used to see if they know.

[BankFodder]

Yes, see what you can find out. It might give you a bit of extra leverage.

He rented it out 2.5 months after the project was completed. Is he trying to say that you are responsible for all of that delay?

So how do you feel about issuing a claim against him?

 

[Eckington]

In his counter claim against my business, he has stated 109 days at x pounds per day. So he is counting from the day the project was completed.

Yes he is trying to say that I was responsible which is total fantasy. If he had a tenant lined up, they would surely understand that by waiting an extra 2 weeks, they would have a lovely new kitchen and bathroom.

The primary objective is the get paid in full. It would be nice to claim additional costs but I can ill afford the time to work on it. My business is very busy and satisfying my existing orders is priority. This non payment by the client is seriously affecting my cash flow.

Do you think we could claim?

I would like to tarnish his character and reputation. Maybe report him to the governing legal body or his business MD.

7 days from our response letter which is the notice period that we have given him to pay. If no payment is received should we raise a Money Claim?