By Mal Butler
A former policeman has warned Islanders about the difficulty of bringing rogue builders to account, after he faces being left around £10,000 out of pocket, following work on a new extension at his home.
Glenn Cairns, of East Cowes, claims he has been let down by trading standards, the IW Council, and the Police, who have given him no support despite having a Civil Claims Court case in his favour.
Glenn served in the Police force for 32 years, and worked on the Island from 1999 until he retired. He said: “I employed the builder after being given recommendations about his work from two friends.”
The work started around mid-June last year, and, at first, the extension went well. Glenn continued: “The builder was on site all the time but the first sign of problems, was when the new roof started to leak.
“Then he said the bi-fold doors leading out to the garden would cost £3,000 and he needed £1,500 up front and £1,500 when they arrived. He later told me he had received them, so I duly paid the balance.
“But he started to be on site less and less; I later learned he was working on another job elsewhere. The three-way pitch roof continued to leak and by September things went further downhill.
“A plumber, due to fit the boiler, said he was owed money by the same builder, and the day the builder was supposed to fix the doors he cried off before finally telling me he hadn’t even ordered them.
“I decided to sack him, and paid a roofer to sort things out which cost me £6,500, so by now I was nearly £10,000 out of pocket.
“I took him to a Civil Claims Court on-line for the original £3,000, and I won the case hands down as I had all the evidence including messages and emails.
“I have now moved on to the County Court, but I know there is no chance of recovering the money owed because I believe he will just go bankrupt and start another company.
“In all of this I have been in touch with the IW Council Trading Standards office and the Police, but they have not been any help. The Trading Standards people said I needed to find other people who had been conned by the builder and I did have one person who later decided against it.
“I was told they really needed four or five people to get together with complaints saying they had been taken for about £100,000 between them.
“This is out-and-out theft. I went to the police but they just redirected me back to Trading Standards, who said “there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction”.
“But how much evidence do they need? It leaves a bad taste and how many other people on the Island have been conned like me? I’m doing this to make others aware of what I have gone through, and how hard it is to make these people pay back what they have stolen.”
An IW Council spokesman said: “The Isle of Wight Council takes reports of rogue traders extremely seriously, regardless of the financial value involved. We cannot comment on individual cases, but our Trading Standards team provides advice, enforcement, investigation, and consumer‑protection support for residents across a wide range of statutory areas. Where criminal offences are suspected, such as misleading or fraudulent trading practices, Trading Standards can investigate and take action, including, but not limited to prosecution.
“Civil matters, such as contract disputes over workmanship, may need to be pursued through the court by consumers, but Trading Standards can still offer advice and gather intelligence. Trading Standards complaints should be logged so that they are recorded appropriately and then shared with the most relevant agency. Civil advice can also be obtained from the Citizens Advice Consumer Service by contacting 0808 223 1133.”
If you have been conned by a rogue tradesman, email: newsdesk@iwobserver.co.uk
Carole Dennett