Took advantage of my elderly mother
Felt Lee took advantage of my naive 80+ yr old mother. The smallest of jobs always became a two-person job, paying for an apprentice to admire the views from the roof or literally stand around watching. Had a few leaks on an old roof, Craig would lay some flash band, snap pictures, my mother was non-the wiser, rinse and repeat ad nauseam. Paying for work which literally achieved nothing, never any guarantee for the work carried out. Questioned Craig why he didn't enter the loft to trace where leaks were coming in, he informed me, "Lee instructed him not to". Lucas eventually entered the loft, traced leaks and fixed issues after a lot of money was unnecessarily wasted. Last year had electrical fault, Lee and co spent 1.5 days trying to determine fault, after getting no-where Lee said the basement needed to be re-wired due to time spent, which would include pulling up newly sanded & polish floor. Arranged for electrician to take a look, they fixed issue inside a few hours. Lee always wants to suggest & recommend work that suits him, which is not necessarily economical the customer. Unfortunately my mother didn't know any better and just went along with everything he told her, frustrating watching her repeatedly handing over cash and defending the bills he put in front of her, especially for the roof work.
Reply from Lee Hallard Building Services
Dear Nick,
Thank you for your feedback. We are genuinely sorry to hear that you feel this way. At Lee Hallard, we take all concerns seriously, especially when it involves the trust of our clients and their families.
We would like to clarify a few points:
• All work carried out for your mother was undertaken only after she gave approval and was invoiced transparently. We always aim to explain what we are doing and why, and provide video reports, and at no point was she charged for work that was not completed.
• Where apprentices have been present, this is part of standard training and health & safety practices. A man cannot go onto a roof without a second safety man so an apprentice is a very cost effective option for customers. They are not simply “watching” but learning under supervision, and their time is always reflected fairly in our pricing.
• Roof repairs were carried out as instructed to address leaks in an ageing roof which needs complete replacement. Something your mother cannot afford. Unfortunately, older roofs often require multiple visits due to the condition of the structure. Because of your mothers limited finances we were forced to carry out constant ‘mends’. We did provide solutions and advice at each stage.
• Regarding the electrical matter, our team investigated thoroughly and gave professional recommendations based on what was found. We spent 3 days on an installation which was an awful mess of a non-standard amateur installation. You have NOT paid for this work. Another contractor may have taken a different approach, which can happen in the trade, but we always act in good faith with safety in mind.
• I would point out that this 1 star review seems to follow our refusal to carry out further work for you due to you failing to pay our bill and engaging another contractor. Something your mother rang me about to apologise for, as you had done this of your own volition. Prior to your review, you had rang and left messages pleading for us to come back multiple times; this seems to be at odds with your apparent low opinion of us?
We are proud of the long-standing relationships we have built with many clients, including your mother, who trusted us with her home over several years. We regret that you feel dissatisfied, and we would be more than happy to discuss your concerns directly (with your mother) to provide further clarification.
Our commitment is, and always has been, to carry out work honestly, professionally, and with the best interests of our customers at heart.
Kind regards,
Lee Hallard & Team