Beware! Darren Tomlinson - Elite Tilers

[Skin_deep]

BEWARE: Darren Tomlinson- Elite Tilers

In December I hired Darren Tomlinson to lay floor tiles in my bathroom, toilet and kitchen. He came to do work, which would of only taken a day and half at most, but proceeded to come in dribs and drabs over the course of 2 days. On the last day he attended he told me he was just finishing off and would be done that day. Stupidly, I told him where I had left the money to pay him, came home from work and tiles were not finished at all. Of course, he had taken the money.

Over the next week he completely ignored my phone calls and text messages to ask when he was to return. Finally he corresponded after I had begged him for my key back as I was unable to gain access to inside my flat block as he had my main door key. He fed a story that his son was in hospital and that was why he hadn't been in touch. True or not, we will never know but it's one of those excuses you can't really question.

Over the Christmas period I had to continually buzz neighbours to get into my own home which was incredibly embarrassing and must of been extremely annoying for them. I continued to text and call Darren to find out when the work would be complete. He proceeded to ignore me yet again. I finally got through to him 2 weeks later after sending him numerous text messages. Darren told me he was free on either Friday or Saturday of that week, I asked him to come on the Friday- he never showed up on either days.

Again, he continued to ignore my calls and text. In the end I had to call the police to seek guidance on how to get my key back. They informed me it would be classed as theft if I requested the key back and it wasn't returned. I text Darren the following:

Hi Darren. This is the last request for my keys back before I contact the police. I have already seeked guidance regarding this matter as you have repeatedly ignored me. I am asking you to post my key through the door of *****. If I do not receive my key back by 24th of January I will make a complaint against you. You do not have permission to enter my property anymore, I will arrange for your equipment to be given to you by no65 on receipt of my keys. I do not require you to finish the work you have already been paid for either. I will deal with this in an appropriate way once I have received my keys back. I am really disappointed it has gotten to this point.

I finally received my key back on 24th Jan, he dumped it on the neighbours doorstep, didn't even bother to post through the letterbox. Anyone could of picked it up. Darren started the work on 6th December, hasn't been back to my property since 7th December, took money for a job he never completed and did not return my key for 7 weeks!

Darren left my property messy, my washing machine and cooker were left pulled out, most of my doors have been taken off and not put back, they don't even fit now the tiles are down.

Please do not hire this man! He is a crook. Please search the business name on Companies House, you will see it was struck off and in the gazette listings. Now I know why he prefers cash in hand!

If anyone is thinking of hiring him and would like more information please PM me, I have all the proof and will be happy to share.

[Sean Of Dulwich]

pm sent about this scum bag

[Howl]

Well we are having to get an area of outside tiling re done after one of Darren?s colleagues work. Yes, I would avoid.

[East_Dulwich]

So let me guess, you all went for the cheapest quote... hardly surprising, it's cheap for a reason

[Skin_deep]

Sorry to disappoint... but no... wasn't the cheapest quote. I also used Darren before to tile a shower in one of the properties I manage... no problems with that job at all. Please keep your assumptions to yourself.

[Sean Of Dulwich]

well said

[singalto]

Report him to Southwark Trading standards. They are very helpful..

[handymaneast dulwich]

How do they sleep at night!

[PG14]

I'm another victim. I am having a nightmarish experience since I appointed Darren from Elite Tilers to do my outside pathway in Dec'17. I usually go through CheckATrade or MyBuilder, but he was recommended by Topps Tiles next door, so I went for him. He dilly-dallied and postponed the work for 3 months with some excuse or the other. Meanwhile, I had bought my materials, some of which was picked up by him. When I got fed up and asked him to return my materials if he can't do the job, he sent his guys to do it last Thu. On the day, his men confirmed that the gate I had bought based on the measurement confirmation by him was incorrect, so it cannot be fixed. Also, the edging that he had confirmed as part of the job cannot be done. I have to now spend a considerable amount of money + holidays to get a new correct gate. I told him I was even willing to absorb that, although the fault was his incorrect confirmation. I also transferred 85% of the agreed money immediately after, and confirmed transferring the remaining 15% i.e. full payment once the gate is fixed (although the edging was still also not done). He verbally abused me on phone, bullied and coerced me to part with the full payment despite the work not being completed with a 10 mins. ultimatum threatening to remove tiles and damage my property if I do not agree to pay him in the next 10 mins. I'm at work, so saw his message after half an hr. by which time he had informed that he has already damaged my property as I did not reply with my agreement in the 10 mins. timeframe. He has threatened to do further damage if I do not pay in full despite work not being completed and I absorbing all the cost for his incorrect confirmation.

What options do I have to protect my property that he has already confirmed he has damaged? Can I take police recourse? I have all the text exchanges as evidence.

[Sue]

That is terrible. I would go to the police, and definitely also report him to trading standards.

And also inform Topps Tiles so that they don't recommend him to people.

[Sean Of Dulwich]

I find this forum have some great trades people and recomendations etc etc . NEVER PAY CASH UPFRONT

[tasha1]

Had something similar many years ago with a tradesperson. I went to the police (when they still had a station in ED and they took it quite seriously. They told me to phone them immediately if the guy turned up at my property. Luckily he didn't. I would inform the police and the fact you've got evidence of his threats means they can approach him

[tiddles]

this seems appalling - especially where he was threatening damage to someone's property.

A simple google search throws up his details as a director of Elite Tiles. As these have both happened in recently, it might be worth going through the money claim website and sue him for the money you gave him under duress. I would also pursue this with the police and trading standards (not sure if it is southwark, or the borough in which his business is registered - given on the web search. Lastly make Topps Tiles very aware of his business methods and formally ask them to withdraw his details.

[Sean Of Dulwich]

sad

[JohnL]

Company Status : Dissolved Oct 2017

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/09772273

[PG14]

By the time I came home that day, his men had already damaged my front porch - ripped tiles apart, broken the base and took away those tiles. Reckon I'll report to the police today.

[tiddles]

I wonder if the address given under his directors details is the same?

[Sean Of Dulwich]

criminal damage

[DirtyBox]

Maybe the tax man would also be interested to hear about this guy? I'm assuming he asks to be paid in cash...

[elitetilers]

I will in turn reply to all the messages posted on here seemingly trying to slander my name, but I?ll start with you Sean of Dulwich that has chosen to call me a scumbag without hearing my point of view. Don?t believe everything you read!

Now to you Skin_deep. Firstly, as you mentioned I did another job for you that you were more than happy with. So much so, you had me do the work in question at your own home. We approached this job as ?friends? and the price given was ?mates rates?. However, the job should?ve been completed but we?ll get to the reason it wasn?t in due course. So the first day two of us came to start the work, you had a front door being fitted by another ?friend? which you failed to mention until we turned up that morning. There was no way we could start so we agreed to start the following day. I didn?t charge you for the loss of earnings, in fact I didn?t even complain! The following day we couldn?t get access because you were asleep until around 9.30. We then had to wait around for you and your partner to get yourselves and your son ready before we could start (I?m sure he should?ve been at school!). Oh and while we?re on the subject of sons, I should never have to explain my personal/private life to anyone, and not that it?s anyones business other than my own and my family?s, you?ve left me no choice. My son is 12 but he was born 12 weeks premature. His organs, especially his lungs were underdeveloped, which unfortunately means he may be in and out of hospital for the rest of his life. I don?t know what excuses you use for not going to work (Oh actually I do considering you?re son was still at home at 10.30 on a weekday, and I heard you on the phone to your boss!), but I would never use my son?s health as one. Anyway, when we were able to make a start, your house was already messy! You expected me and my tiler to move your belongings including over 50 full 2 litre bottles of water from where we were expected to tile. Now that?s one and a half days already lost. As well as my son going into hospital, I had a lot of other work on. You already cost me a lot time and money which I didn?t complain about, but I?m not here to move my schedule around to suit your needs. My only mistake was my lack of communication with you for which I can be forgiven for and shouldn?t be judged as they were very hard times and believe me there were a lot more important people ahead of you on that list of people I lacked communication with. I took the ?300 you left out of the ?about ?300/?350? I charged you for the work because there wasn?t much left to do, I thought the job would be completed by my tiler that day. My tools were left at your house (tools worth more than ?500 I hasten to add!), and are still in your possession which shows I had every intention to return and have the work completed. With regards to your keys and contacting the police, I hope you mentioned what you do for a living, and why your house got broken into. I don?t drive but I told you that you could pick them up at any time. I posted the keys through your neighbours letterbox as requested in the text message you felt the need to share, and to suggest I ?dumped them on their doorstep!? is quite frankly unbelievable! To also suggest I?m a crook is ridiculous, offensive and very rich coming from you considering what I know about you! Please can you arrange to have my tools dropped off? Otherwise I?ll be forced to call the Police to seek guidance on how to get them back.

Howl - I?m not aware of any work that has to be re-done after one of my so-called colleagues done some work for you, but please feel free PM me and if it is proven to be anything to do with me or my company (now dissolved), I will have it remedied free of charge.

PG14 - Parmita, Parmita, Parmita?! Please do not play the victim here! I ?dilly dallied and postponed the work for 3 months?!? Don?t make me laugh! You chose to have your outside path done in the 3 coldest months possible and before we started I told you any start date would be subject to weather conditions. You have to have at least one full clear and dry day either side of any outside work, and the temperature must be at least 5? and rising before you can start tiling all of which I?ve made clear to you. You only wanted the work done in a rush because you had family over last weekend and ?wanted to impress them? with a newly tiled pathway. You blamed me for ordering the wrong size gate from eBay, when I gave you correct measurements of the opening. I?m a tiler not a specialist gate fitter, so if you wanted that you shouldn?t have ordered the gate from eBay! On completion I gave you the option to hold back the ?50 I would?ve paid one of my guys to fit the gate, but you refused to pay the outstanding balance. You still owe me ?142, yes folks, ?142 and were still refusing to pay. That?s why I had my guys remove the extra work I didn?t confirm or price for. I also told you I would have them remove ?142 worth of work from the pathway. Not damage, just what I?m owed. To be honest I think it?s quite unprofessional to post on here considering we haven?t reached a resolution. You only bought the tiles, and I picked up all the materials, including driving to Eltham to pick up 11 coping stones which I paid ?60 for out of my own pocket, that was not previously agreed on or paid for. While I was on holiday you agreed with my guys not to have the stones installed and got them to do extra work without confirmation from me. The guys in Topps Tiles warned me about you being ?hard work? and I stupidly went against my better judgement! I?m not wasting another minute on this Parmita! Keep the money and get someone else to fit the gate! I?ve never threatened or bullied you, I?ve only asked for what I?m owed!

EDT is a good tool/vessel for people like me. I?ve worked over 20 years to build up my reputation and I?m so glad I don?t depend on it for work otherwise the comments made by Skin_deep and PG14 could have had a detrimental effect to me and my business. I have numerous clients literally queuing up to ?clear my name? and ridicule these statements and proof that what they?re saying (mainly PG14) is untrue, but I simply don?t have the time or patience to give it a second thought! I?ll let my work speak for itself!

Lastly, a quick message to all tradesmen/women. Please take 25% upfront and insist on payment on completion.

Cheers,

Darren (Elite Tilers)

[Sean Of Dulwich]

dont worry about me its your rep you need to worry about i sugest you read her post again n see why shes pissed off..oh and lets not let get on the topic of searching cause you pop up everywhere alright

[elitetilers]

Sean of Dulwich - Dont make this personal or about me and you. In calling me a scumbag you made an uneducated assumption based on one side of a two sided story and I addressed it. If I was to make assumption about you, it would be that considering you replied to my post in less than an hour and it wasn?t even directed at you, and the fact that if you type your name in the search bar, 13 pages come up, these all tell me you clearly have nothing better to do, but that would be wrong of me to make that uneducated assumption because I don?t know you! Enough said!

[Sean Of Dulwich]

listen dont get pissed cause someone told you your work was shit .you wont find no one talking shit about my work and to hear you pulled up someones pathway says a lot and lets not get on the topic of searching cause you pop up everywhere

[elitetilers]

Sean of Dulwich - I think you?re the one that needs to listen! You?re the one that should read the posts again, and tell me where anyone has said my work was ?shit?. Nowhere, because the word shit only popped up when you opened your mouth and by the looks of things, that?s all that seems to come out it! I told you and everyone else that cares to read this, that I don?t have the time or the patience because I actually have a life and a lot better things to do with my precious time, I?m simply on here because it was brought to my attention that people had left some negative posts about me, and to give my side which I?ve done, but because you?ve made this personal and about me and you I?ll entertain you one last time.

Not that I need to explain myself to anyone let alone you, but you clearly can?t read otherwise you would know I didn?t pull up anyone?s pathway. Parmita - PG14 tried to pull a fast one while I was on holiday and get my guys to do extra work that I hadn?t agreed or priced for. She then refused to pay the balance minus ?50 to fit the gate, so I had the extra work removed to which I gave fair warning and am well within my legal rights to do so.

The only only mistake I made with Laura - Skin_deep, was lack of communication, and she was so ?pissed off? as you put it, that she waited until 18 days after getting her keys back, and until 01:43AM to post her comments.

Unlike you I have a life, I?m not on EDF leaving comments or posts about things that don?t concern me. You clearly also aren?t that educated because you?ve used 3 expletives (swear words in case you didn?t know!), and edited the 3 lines of your last post twice. Sometimes you should keep your opinions to yourself and not believe everything you read. At least hear both sides before making any wrong assumptions.

I have no doubt in my mind you?ll reply because you can?t help yourself and have nothing better to do! Just be careful and think about what you say because you?ve already embarrassed yourself enough!. I?m not giving you or this forum another second of my time!

[Sean Of Dulwich]

lol you bet ill reply. ill make it short n sweet cause i have work to do that come from this forum. I spose we wont be hearing no more from you right seeing as your not giving this forum no more of your time lol . No Loss