customer taking money back

[lte077]

hi all new to this hope some one can help

 

i am a builder and i fitted a kitchen last year

 

in which my customer paid for the kitchen on his credit card to the company i have a trade card with getting him a big discount

 

i now have a letter saying i owe 4707 pounds because he and reversed his payment

 

my trade account was only ever a cash account hence why he paid for it

 

i am now left with the bill

 

1. how can he do this its been 6 months since payment

2. what do i do now

3. do i own the kitchen as hes not paid for it

4. if i own it can i go get it

[dx100uk]

the credit card company should have given you the chance to respond to the section 75 request raised.

 

so you've had NO contact from the customer?

 

dx

[BankFodder]

I think that there are three things to do here. Do them all at the same time.

 

Contact your bank in writing and ask them for an explanation. Point out in your letter to them that you have had no contact or information from them and that you don't understand why. Send that letter off immediately. This is not a time to do things on the phone.

 

Contact the customer in writing and ask him why he has done this and what is wrong with the work. Point out to him that he has not notified you of any problems with the work and so you are surprised to have found that the payment has been cancelled by your bank.

 

 

Go the land registry website and do an ownership check on the customer's property - http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/public/property-ownership

For a small fee you will be able to download details of the property's owner. You should do this because if you don't get a satisfactory response from the customer within 10 days, I would follow up with an LBA and then sue in the county court.

Once court papers are issued then the customer will start to deal correctly with you - and if you get a judgment, you can put a charge on the property. You never know, maybe the property is being sold. Drive past it. If you find that there are for sale boards then I would start the court action almost immediately. In that case, once the papers were issued you could get a temporary charge - a Notice - registered against the property in order to protect your interests.

 

If the customer comes back with some complaints then you need to go and see him and agree what is wrong and the value of it. Ask for payment of the original sum less the value of making good problems - the balance to be settled once the snagging list has been sorted.

 

Come back here when you know more