Conley & Co

[icicle]

Having been impressed with the plans Conley & Co drew up for our bedroom and bathroom refurbishment we decided to employ them in February 2019. We were assured that the job would take 7 weeks so with all the money (a hefty five figure sum) for materials paid upfront (bar ?3k) we went ahead in good faith.

Little did we realise this would signal the start of a 7 month (yes SEVEN MONTH) saga that dominated our lives.

Early on in the job one of our ceilings collapsed on account of rotten beams.

This could have had a catastrophic outcome but fortunately no-one was sleeping in the room below at the time.

This heralded the start of a catalogue of many unfortunate incidents.

Communication deteriorated as the work progressed and we were forced to project manage the job ourselves as the firm reacted very badly when we flagged up legitimate concerns.

There were days on end when the builders were on site awaiting materials that we naively assumed had been ordered at the start of the job.

We assumed that once we had paid for materials at the start of the job the materials would be ordered and delivered.

Ultimately the firm walked away leaving a snagging list untouched, no guarantees for the job and no closure of the project.

We refused to pay the final balance as this was the only recourse we had against the failings of this project.

The end result? The pleasures of a fine looking space in which to sleep and wash have been massively outweighed by the stress of the job, and lack of accountability by this company.

We are 2 aggrieved clients who are trying to warn people before they appoint this firm.

[Turneytrio]

We had a similar experience a few years ago. At the time we thought it might be because they were a newish company, but it?s disappointing to hear that a few years later, little seems to have changed!

[percy]

DONT TRUST. Anna & Chris previously traded under Conley & Co, which had now gone into administration leaving customers such as us without any recourse to compensation for the work they have failed to complete, or have done badly. They have set up a new company under the name Anna Richmond Designs. 

We have underfloor heating that when turned on trips all the electrics in our house; other areas where it doesn’t work at all. Paint work was done shoddily, one coat in many places; kitchen installation rushed so that it’s all wonky, kickboards not fixed in, back doors installed upside down and draughty, kitchen doors and appliances scratched… the list literally goes on. 

Worst is the failure to complete Building control, FENSA and electrical safety certificates, which puts our family at risk and will make it difficult to sell. 

We have Anna and Chris three years to put things right, but they took our money and ignored us. 

[JGlen]

I would echo the other reviews here. In particular the comments on leaving a long snagging list and then ignoring any follow ups for months, and also the failure to provide any evidence of building control.

 

Sad to see others had a similar experience and amazed to see they’re going again

[ShelleyTurk123]

I can only echo the above comments. 

Myself and my husband hired Anna and Chris to renovate our kitchen in June 2022. I was 8 months pregnant with our first child, we put our life savings into the project and were promised a lovely family home for the arrival of our daughter. 
What we actually received was months of hell and a project that was never finished. 

We went as fair as taking legal action and won compensation but then they liquidated the company. 

Companies get into trouble all the time and I would never wish that in anyone but that is far from the whole story here. Anna came into our home, a home we were preparing to welcome our first child into, she knew at that point that they did not have the money to finish ( or even start) our project, but she also knew she needed our money to help their debt and the other 3+ projects they couldn't finish. 
She took the money and it turn left a family with a home that was not finished to the agreed standard and then just walked away to open a new company which appears to be operating successfully. 
That to me speaks volumes about the character of a person, particularly a women who is a mother herself. What she put us through as a family is unforgivable and I hope no one ever has to again. 

She has changed the name of the company but it doesn't change the person she and her husband are. They should be disbarred from owning a company in the liquidation proceedings and I will continue to fight for that to be actioned. 
 

[camberwellconvert]

Just to warn anyone thinking of employing or engaging Chris and Anna Richmond, that nothing has changed.  The accounts above from others are all too familiar.  A job that we were told would take between 6-8 months is now entering its 23rd month.  They have taken enormous amounts of money from us, finished nothing, and the quality of the work that they have delivered is poor to substandard.  They take no responsibility themselves - there are endless excuses and everything is someone else's fault.  They do not care about the impact that their actions have on anyone else.   They are, at best, chaotic. They have not delivered as the designers or project managers that they claim to be. They are rarely on site to monitor the progress or quality of the job that is being delivered and they and manage their largely non-English speaking workforce by WhatsApp and Google translate.  There has been little evidence that they employ the skilled tradespeople needed to lay tiles, install bathrooms and kitchens, decorate and complete to the standard that we have paid for.  I cannot stress enough, that if you are currently in discussion with Anna and Chris Richmond about a future job or have paid them money up front for a job that they have slipped in delivering, to quit while you are ahead.  Things won't get better.