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I read the posts that people have written on here and wonder why I didn't read before looking for feedback. My uncle passed away a few years ago now and I am very close with my elderly Aunt who is also severely disabled. I approached Safestyle to quote for two new windows to the front of my Aunts property. She has respiratory problems and the windows to the front were looking a bit tired. My initial enquiry was that of, 'do I need to be the homeowner to arrange for that and they said yes, when I confirmed that I was not they said they would still send someone around and it could be discussed. Within half an hour (Oh by the way grab a cuppa, this will be a long one!!) there was a knock at the door and it was two guys from Safestyle. They were very pressurising and eventually I agreed to sign there contract. I asked of the cooling off period and was very quickly advised 14 days but they are quite flexible so don't worry if you are outside of that. After they left and over the next week or so I researched the company, I wasn't pleased with the feedback and so I decided to cancel. My big mistake was not reading the contract as in no uncertain terms I was told I was too late and that the cooling off period was 7 days not 14 and as I had no proof of this conversation. I then read the contract in detail and saw that pretty much there was nothing I could do without any proof. The next step was a Surveyor to come around and measure up for the new windows. Being a surveyor myself I wasn't best pleased about the way he presented himself, he spent more time giving me a run down of how poorly he was treated by employers, he may as well of just left me his CV, not to mention the way he was taking down the measurements. I received a call from Safestyle after to arrange a date for the fitting of which afterwards I called them to change the date this was for a Friday as I work away and needed to be at the property as my elderly Aunt being disabled and vulnerable does not like contractors in the property without me being there. I also had the sales rep state on the contract that no sub contractors were to be used under any circumstances and this was written under the heading special conditions. I also noticed that there was another contract tucked away for building works for an additional £587.00, for a bow conversion but there were no additional works that would have been required. I called the office the week of the fit and they were not available nor were they returning my calls. Eventually after numerous calls they spoke with me only to say that the original fit date which was he following morning was the only thing they had on record and that is when the work was going to be done. I explained to them that this was not possible as I wasn't even in the area and they went absolutely mad, conveniently they only had a recording off my initial conversation agreeing to that and no record of anything else. I refused to accept that appointment and eventually they agreed but said it was not reasonable telling them only hours before the job, not taking into consideration any of the previous calls I had made.
The following morning my Aunt called me in tears. She was very distressed and said that she was woken at 8.00 am with loud banging on the front door. She was so scared that she decided to stay in bed. After ten minutes of banging on the front door it went quiet...................for about 5 seconds.......hen loud banging started on the front window (her bedroom). With that she got out of bed and fell, after picking herself up off of the floor, which is no easy tsk as she is very frail, she got to the front door to see two men, scruffily dressed, no uniform, no marked van that she could see and no ID. They said that they were from Safestyle and had to fit some windows. When she refused the older man started shouting and swearing and said that she had to let them in because a contract was signed and they had work to do. She was so scared a their threatening behaviour that she put her foot in front of the door as she thought they were just going to come in regardless. Eventually she just shut the door in their face.
I then received a call from their depot stating that they were not told the job was cancelled and they have a copy of the call with me agreeing that date. All of a sudden records of calls are despatched to there UK depots all over? Throughout that day I was constantly calling their office with no satisfaction other than I get the job done by them or they will see me in court. I spoke with a man who claims to be their Director who was continuously shouting at me down the telephone accusing me of fraud and telling me that I don't know what I am talking about so much to the point that he started putting words in my mouth. After over an hour of him screaming down the phone at me I ended the call, he then kept calling back shouting and so I kept hanging up. His emails after that were totally fabricated missing out his foul language, my Aunt has better memory than him and she is 75.
I then started receiving emails from his so called collections department and after a lengthy trail of emails I agreed to buy the windows as my aunt did not want the company in her house and understandably so. After this was agreed they then said that on receipt of my debit card details they would deliver the windows......yeah like I am going to give these cowboys by bank card number! I responded to that by saying that payment would be made by cheque on delivery of pristine windows and a letter from them that if the measurements that they had taken were wrong I would be refunded for windows that would then not be fit for purpose. I then had a reply that these demands were not fit for purpose and that they will start the collection process to recover 60% of the contract value. I have now received court papers claiming over £2000. I am now trying to compile my defence against this as they did not send me a letter before commencing any action not to mention the way they have managed this so called contract that I am still not sure that they can enforce.
My Aunt jumps every time the door goes, and as I am not the home owner can they do this, I am sure they can but I will put up a fight to at least prevent them from bullying others. Any help or advice would be much appreciated.
The following morning my Aunt called me in tears. She was very distressed and said that she was woken at 8.00 am with loud banging on the front door. She was so scared that she decided to stay in bed. After ten minutes of banging on the front door it went quiet...................for about 5 seconds.......hen loud banging started on the front window (her bedroom). With that she got out of bed and fell, after picking herself up off of the floor, which is no easy tsk as she is very frail, she got to the front door to see two men, scruffily dressed, no uniform, no marked van that she could see and no ID. They said that they were from Safestyle and had to fit some windows. When she refused the older man started shouting and swearing and said that she had to let them in because a contract was signed and they had work to do. She was so scared a their threatening behaviour that she put her foot in front of the door as she thought they were just going to come in regardless. Eventually she just shut the door in their face.
I then received a call from their depot stating that they were not told the job was cancelled and they have a copy of the call with me agreeing that date. All of a sudden records of calls are despatched to there UK depots all over? Throughout that day I was constantly calling their office with no satisfaction other than I get the job done by them or they will see me in court. I spoke with a man who claims to be their Director who was continuously shouting at me down the telephone accusing me of fraud and telling me that I don't know what I am talking about so much to the point that he started putting words in my mouth. After over an hour of him screaming down the phone at me I ended the call, he then kept calling back shouting and so I kept hanging up. His emails after that were totally fabricated missing out his foul language, my Aunt has better memory than him and she is 75.
I then started receiving emails from his so called collections department and after a lengthy trail of emails I agreed to buy the windows as my aunt did not want the company in her house and understandably so. After this was agreed they then said that on receipt of my debit card details they would deliver the windows......yeah like I am going to give these cowboys by bank card number! I responded to that by saying that payment would be made by cheque on delivery of pristine windows and a letter from them that if the measurements that they had taken were wrong I would be refunded for windows that would then not be fit for purpose. I then had a reply that these demands were not fit for purpose and that they will start the collection process to recover 60% of the contract value. I have now received court papers claiming over £2000. I am now trying to compile my defence against this as they did not send me a letter before commencing any action not to mention the way they have managed this so called contract that I am still not sure that they can enforce.
My Aunt jumps every time the door goes, and as I am not the home owner can they do this, I am sure they can but I will put up a fight to at least prevent them from bullying others. Any help or advice would be much appreciated.
