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Plumbing question - legal advice


Andrew
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Guys, I'll try and keep this short but am looking for some advice here please. In brief:

Boiler installed at g/fs flat (before my time) in April 2009 with a Corgi registration number

Perfomance better than old replaced boiler so g/f thinks it is fine

I arrive and question why a combi boiler only provides a very limited amount of hot water (and asked TSN massive about it last summer too)

I get another company round to service boiler and they discover the flue was fitted upside down and the correct angle for flue condensation to drain away caused boiler to cut out.

Pay up £1,150 to get this sorted.

Send letter to old plumber citing legal this and that on the advice of the CAB as a pre-cursor to taking him to small claims court (am told I have a valid case)

Letter sent registered and wasn't delivered

I look him up, manage to get his mob number, ring him

He tells me the old company has gone under and that any process of recovery will be a waste of my time

What do I do now? Is it a lost cause given the company that fitted the old boiler went under despite the fact it was this bloke I spoke to's company and he did the fitting?

Very annoyed.

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All they said they would do is write a report for court - they didn't suggest there was anything else they would do.

No idea if he was Limited - how would I find out?

He has had two other companies since this time from the looks of it and was very cagey on the phone when I spoke to him.

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What do you want from all this, money ? He has none, thats why he has ceased trading, repeatedly. Even if small claims court rule in your favour, do you think he can repay ? They'll ask him to pay 50p a week for 500 years (or whatever) and he won't send a penny. Don't waste your time. If you want to make a nuisance of youself, report him to Corgi as doing unauthorised work, set up a cheapo website in his real personal name 'Angus McDodgyboiler of Edinburgh' (or whetever) and give him some free advertising ;)

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I know common sense prevails here TDK but he must have some money in order to have a company, have a mobile phone etc etc. Blimey, he even has a house (I have his address). So I do feel a bit aggrieved about this but at the same time I don't want to waste my time or any more money.

I'd be happy if he paid a portion of it. But of course it is also a point of principle more than anything else; he is clearly dodgy so others might be caught out.

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I know common sense prevails here TDK but he must have some money in order to have a company, have a mobile phone etc etc. Blimey, he even has a house (I have his address). So I do feel a bit aggrieved about this but at the same time I don't want to waste my time or any more money.

I'd be happy if he paid a portion of it. But of course it is also a point of principle more than anything else; he is clearly dodgy so others might be caught out.

Get BBC Watchdog involved - they can send Matt Allright round on the bike and set him up.

The 2 other companies since 2009 is very poor though.

You really have to do you homework before handing over any dosh. Can you see how many companies he had before he carried out the work on your place?

How was the work paid for? Cash, credit card or debit card? If credit card, can you go to the company? (I know, bet it wasn't credit card - worth an ask though?)

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You'll never see a penny from him, don't waste your time, best you can hope for is to be added to his list of debtors for the company name that he was trading as at the time, but you'll not get any money.

Might be more fun to contact Rogue Traders on Watchdog and hope they go after him.

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My homework and the g/f's homework are very different finished pieces! She doesn't have a CC so I suspect it was cash/cheque and of course it was 3 years ago.

Did wonder about Watchdog but it is hardly the most compelling or gripping of stories - mind you, maybe those viewing the programme might see it differently.

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In the US, he would have to be licensed to work and install. This genuinely leads to people taking care and pride in their work and delivering superb customer service - we had an AC / heating system fitted by true professionals.

An error like that over their would have seen him lose his license and not be able to continue to do, presumably, poor work (guessing) leading to a string of failed businesses.

I would contact Corgi, imagine if carbon monoxide had leaked back into the house.... Doesn't bear thinking about.

Having had the misfortune of dealing with some very poor contractors recently (thankfully found a great team now), I would love to see a license system.

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I'm not sure if telling you that he is called Tony Meenan (traded at the time as Meenan Plumbing and Heating, then TK Solutions, now Meenan and Sons) and lives at 23 Denholm Drive, Musselburgh, Midlothian EH21 6TR is the right thing to do mate, sorry.

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Meenan Plumbing and Heating applied to Companies House for a name change in 2009. On 15th April 2009.

They changed their name to:

TK Solutions (Scotland) Ltd

This company still exists at Companies House and checks back to the home address you have given.

However, it is under a proposal to Strike-Off and has Overdue accounts from 2010 and 2011. So you'll get nothing there I'm afraid and the fact Meenan Plumbing and Heating officially changed to TK Solutions accounts for any claim under their name too.

His Facebook profile uses the name Meenan Plumbing and Heating, but that is likely to have been set up when they were trading under that name (I'd guess).

Meenan Plumbing and Heating on Facebook

He also advertises his services as a DJ.

Tony Meenan DJ

Personally I think you're wasting you're time - unfortunately.

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Blimey Chris, thanks for that.

I note he has a cat on his doorstep - you don't like cats do you Chris. Fancy a day out? +++;)

It is a lost cause then, fair do, a life experience - I'll think more about how to pass on my annoyance about this life experience to him in some (intellectual) shape. Ideas welcome.

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My 2p worth. You know it was a dodgy installation, you have another plumber advise it was a dodgy instal done in 2009.

So I would argue with you that the work was carried out in accordance with legislation in place at the time and any changes to this installation must have been carried out by you after my work, do you have proof the installation was faulty at the time I completed my work? I cannot be held responsible for work you have carried out at a subsequent time without appropriate certification..........

Given he has ceased trading / about to cease and you'll probably struggle to get any redress, wihtout evidence of other wrong doing (other disatisfied clients) it would be very hard to prove your case beyond doubt, the fact he cannot run a company does not in itself merit his inability to work correctly.

I'd just put it down to experience, otherwise it'll cause a lot of stress and agro you probably can't be bothered with.

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A little more information.

The Strike-Off action was Compulsory (probably due to the non-submission of accounts).

However, it has been suspended from dissolution under what is known as a DISS16(SOAS). This almost certainly means they had a creditor who objected to the ultimate dissolution because they would know they'd not receive their monies. It could be HMRC preventing it in order to claim PAYE etc via assets. It could be a customer. Could be anyone for that matter who knew their stuff and tried to stop him disolving the company so they could make a claim on its assets.

Either way, that was June 2011 and the fact it is still marked as Strike-Off would tend to indicate it's not trading and there has been no successful liquidation of assets to remove the DISS16(SOAS) (and thereby allow insolvency to proceed). In other words, it's looking messy and isn't worth it.

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I'm not sure if telling you that he is called Tony Meenan (traded at the time as Meenan Plumbing and Heating, then TK Solutions, now Meenan and Sons) and lives at 23 Denholm Drive, Musselburgh, Midlothian EH21 6TR is the right thing to do mate, sorry.

Hmm. I'm sure he'd appreciate a website y'know, advertising his services, spread the word a bit...

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I'm not sure now whether I feel sorry for him or would like to ridicule him.

The more I read about his part-time DJ work, inability to spell or construct a sentence (you should see the invoice) and the fact that he is clearly an incompetent businessman leads me to think that perhaps there is a side which suggests that me making his life more difficult is a bit cruel.

That said, it would be nice if I knew how to make it such that any search on his name brings up this story. Caveat Emptor and all that - this would be of some aid.

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