danthemanandcat

I just wanted to write a warning about a particular builder who operates in this local area and I believe should be avoided. His name is Jim (James) Johnson of " Alexander Johnston and Son's" If you are already using him, my advice is to hold back a 3rd of the final bill for a year to fix the constant "snagging" you will discover due to poor quality work.

I would like to tell people about my experience today where I had booked Steve the chimney sweep (07930 345245) to clean our chimneys. Now maybe I caught him on a bad day and he wouldn't normally behave this day... I don't know. But I would warn people away from him. Here is what happened: (BTW this is Dan's wife writing) Steve arrived on time and started in the living room. I was running about getting the kids ready for school. I looked in just before I was due to leave the house... he had pulled a chimney balloon out of the chimney and there was a lot of dust and soot and mess down on a blanket he had laid. He has put a dust sheet over the coffee table - but not over anything else in the room.. There was an open toy box right next to the fireplace, (I should note that my youngest daughter is asthmatic) plus the table where our TV, DVD player etc sit right there too - these had not been covered and I was concerned that these would get messy. I went over and ran a finger tip along the table and it came off covered in soot. I said "look - it is quite dirty can you please be more careful and use more dust sheets?" - if Steve said he would use more dust sheets that would have been the end of it - but he refused point blank to admit that the soot on the table had been caused by him - and told me I had a dirty house! (We are extremely lucky to have a fantastic local cleaner who had cleaned the day before). I didn't have time to debate this with him since I was in danger of making the kids late for school - so again asked him politely to use more dust sheets at which point he started ranting at me saying I was a difficult customer and he wouldn't work for difficult people - he had been in the business 36 years and was too old to bother with people like me - I was really shocked. he packed up his stuff and left while continuing to rant at me IN FRONT OF MY CHILDREN - to the point where once I had completed the school run I came home and cried - then wrote this. The main thing that sticks with me is his aggression - he just HAD to have the last word (well rant) long after I had given up and was trying to get kids shoes and coats on - and the fact that he refused to admit that he could have caused soot anywhere except the blanket he was using. Our living room is now filthy and so are all the kids toys and I will need to spend a long time cleaning everything thoroughly.

I just want to say that it is not always Foxtons who behaves this way. I was trying to buy a home in Dulwich with my family and we had an offer being seriously considered on a house. We offered more than the place was probably worth (it had been rented and was in a terrible condition) and they seller was keen to go ahead.... UNTIL Greg from Spencer Kennedy called the Seller and told him that Spencer Kennedy could get ?75K more than we were offering for their property. He was comparing it to stunning houses that Spencer Kennedy was selling that were in immaculate condition and needed no work doing to them. Greg has seen the house and knew the state it was in - but still deliberately over-inflated it's price to take the sale away from the other agent who were representing it honestly. Obviously this tactic worked and the Seller rejected our offer. The house didn't sell and ended up being re-rented. In the end we bought a different home through Spencer Kennedy (some of their agents are lovely, just stay clear of Greg) but Greg almost lost us that sale by messing up our paperwork and causing us a month long delay in the purchase.