Advice sought regarding a work situation

[rowdy]

They way it is going to be honest I'd rather not touch it. The customer has contradicted himself enough times by saying wood is just wood how can it be bad quality, and then sometimes you have to make adjustments.
He has said I didn't follow the instruction and when I told him I had he called me a liar, but he then said the shelving pack was part of the pack, but looking at the website it isn't!

He has said he will have to pay someone to rectify the work if I don't, I just don't know where I stand legally if I down tools without payment? Have a feeling he will try sending a bill for that!

[rowdy]

As to the quality of the shed, its made of 8mm thick tongue and groove (although I think this is a little optimistic!) the frame work is about 1" and a half square, and the roof purlins and floor joists are only 1".
The back panel which is made up of two panels is so week if you push the middle of it bows out.
Make your own mind up of the quality.

The sheds that I build are made of frames that are either 38 x 63mm or 38 x 89mm cls studwork timber frames and roof joists. You can walk on these roofs, with the customers shed, do that and it would fold like a paper bag.

If I paid £500 for a shed I'd expect it to be the nuts, I think what matters here is this guys been ripped off buying the shed in the first place, either that or he's lying regarding what he paid.

2 Questions:
Are you going to pay me what you owe for the base materials?
Do you want me to make the best of the bad job fixing as best I can the shed?

If he says no to the first then get and get the flags and stones back, the shed sounds very much like it could be lifted and moved off the base with 2 blokes without issue. If you can get in his garden that's genuinely what I'd be doing at this stage.
+1 to the materials remain your possessions until he pays for them, to put it another way. If you'd left your tools behind (your possessions also) you'd have no gripe about going and taking those back, so why are the flags any different? If he's not paid you back for them then they're yours, go get them back.

[rowdy]

Bolox to it Owenski, like I said the worry is the comeback I might get from it in the first place, and only having lost a oner and a few days I would rather not waste any more time with him.
He has phoned, and asked if I am prepared to redo it or whether he should get someone else in, but as a customer I have lost any *trust that I had in him* so have told him to keep his money and get someone else to do it.
I know on reflection this looks bad on me, and I know its a bit c**tish to drop someone else in the position I have been put in but I really can not be doing with it.

* I don't want to get into personal attacks, but lets just say I saw a fella driving around the local vicinity in a vehicle and my instant thought was not a good one. When I went to look at the job I thought oh god!
I really should trust my judgement in future!

I'd bet you're not the first and certainly not the last he's done it too, I've only had one bad payer, a mad as a box of frogs woman who did me for £900, she wouldn't even let me rectify the 'issues' of which there wasn't any, but I had to accept it as it was a £6k job.

[rowdy]

I would just be glad to get that monkey off my back, but am I responsible for any comeback?

Originally Posted by rowdy

He replied by saying the shed is just wood!! how can it be bad quality??

warped, twisted, badly cut, poorly sized...

Originally Posted by rowdy

immediately with sometimes you have to make slight adjustments to these flatpacks . . . u shouldn't have to but it does happen!! (which is a slight contradiction to the previous sentence).

no, no you don't I sold forest fencing sheds for 7 years as well as assembling them for display at least one-two a year and the only thing you should ever need to do is trim the odd facing strip, the main construction should be perfect,

Originally Posted by rowdy

I then asked if he could honestly tell me that he was happy his shed was worth £500, and that there is a massive variation in quality of wood.

500 is a bloody expensive shed, no wonder he was expecting quality. Just seems he hasnt got it but without seeing the shed itself I couldn't say.

[Paul the 6th]

Originally Posted by rowdy

I would just be glad to get that monkey off my back, but am I responsible for any comeback?

has there been any paperwork, written quotations, order forms from your side?

He doesn't sound like the sort to spend money and time going through a small claims court, not when you can turn round at the end and show you lost money on the deal and so can't afford any recompense.

For £150 I think you're safe.
The cost of pursuing you (if its even possible) is likely to cost more than the claim so not much point in it for him.