A21 Scaffolding of St Leonards

[Richard]

Beware of this company (very aware)
We employed 'A21' to scaff. the front and rear of 3 adjoining properties in Hastings.
Agreed a price and paid 75% 'upfront'.
The company refused to give paperwork and said "you would not have the job as cheap if you wanted paperwork".
However this seems to be standard practice amongst many in the building trade so we let it pass.

The men erected scaff. at the front but despite numerous phone-calls failed to turn up and complete the job,
We were always told that men would be there in the next half-hour
Eventually Lee Burgin (The Boss) told us that he had sub-contracted the job to another company called 'Euro-Scaffolding' but, again, they did not turn up at all and made up loads of limp excuses, like they couldn't work as it was raining.

After 3 weeks patiently waiting, and getting closer to Winter, we decided to employ another company to complete at the rear and on hearing this the A21 Boss (Lee Burgin ) became very 'drama-queen agitated' and said "Right then I am striking the scaffolding".
External decorating was in full-swing at the front so we were very annoyed when men from Lee's A21 scaffolding company turned up at 7:30 a.m.today and started dismantling the scaffolding and flinging materials being used by the decorator and sacks of old rubble onto our front lawns.
Several brand-new down pipes( for the gutter rain discharge) were consequently broken and some tools damaged.

The Police were eventually called as there were threats of violence from the young men dismantling the scaffolding when they were challenged but the Police said that the scaffolders had every right to remove their property and that it was a Civil matter and outside their remit.
The Police also said that we would be depriving scaffolders of their jobs if we stopped them from performing the work of dismantling.

I hope not all Hastings Police are so ridiculous and useless !!
There is something rotten in the system because when I complained about this kind of activity the POlice said it goes on all the time - as if that justifies more of the same ??















Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

[Richard]

This is some of the mess thrown down by A21 Scaffolding of St. Leonards:
Despite the Police assuring us they would ask the scaffolders to stack it neatly on the pathway.


[img://www.hastingsforum.co.uk/forums/sf_attachments/A21_Scaffolding_at_their_best.JPG]






Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

[roy]

I guess cheap isnt always the best choice,not nice.



Enjoy life.you never know when it will end.

[Richard]

that's true generally but I think this case was more down to feuding in the 'underworld' of the scaffolding fraternity.
Let us say that these people all know each other from past work experience and pretend to be mates but fight like cockerells when it comes down to their territory.

One scaffolder puts down scaffolding on anothers territory and immediately it is classed as an act of war and an excuse for fighting over money - the only real victim is the poor person who employs said scaffolders in the first place.
Ofcourse I understand the Police can realistically only ask the 'victim' employer to seek redress through the Courts

What a carry on !! - good job I can put it down to experience and try again_ _ _




Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

[Euroscaff]

Hi richard its chris here from euroscaff im interested to know about the 3 different companies in one year - sounds like u are rumour spreading

Anyway i spoke to you on the phone and you are a mug , for the record my scaffold is still erected at the back of one of of your properties and there might be a repeat performance in the next few days unless you remove any comments on here regarding my company

You are correct A21 subbed the rear to me and when we spoke i advised you i was delayed and got started as soon as i could - which i did , you then engaged a 3rd scaffolder so indeed you was playing games and i think its funny how you tried to take the piss and the treatment you got was great at 7am on a saturday morning - even better when u ran crying to the police they was not interested

The scaffold was loaded with rubbish and this was left in your property was not malicious or there could have been more damage which was not the case

You have my number feel free to call me to discuss payment and removal of scaffold i have on site

[Lee_burgon]

Instead of commiting time to spreading false rumours you should be checking your builders insurance and credentials - so maybe cheapest works well in your world

The agreement was 4 weeks hire on the fron the scaffold was up for 6 weeks , you was aware i had gave the rear to another company and you confirmed that you had made arrangements with them

To sum up you took the piss so i removed the non revenue earning equipment , you and paul cox were both given 24 hours notice that we was to clear the job and didnt

No turf war as far as im concerned just to many firms engaged on site , i resent the cowboy comments considering i have turned over 500,000 in this town and 90% of my work is repeat custom

As euroscaff says you are a mug and good luck with your cowboy builder wont be long till you are on here slating him off as well

Spineless fraggle i came to your house that morning and you hid behind the police - what are ya a keyboard warrior ???

[Richard]

Dear Lee of "A21" and Chris Ball of "Euroscaffolding"
Thanks for your various replies,

Three neighbours in St. Helens Road got together and engaged A21 Scaffolding to scaff the front and rear of 3 properties and despite giving you 3 weeks you failed to deliver on your contract, after doing only the front of the buildings in question.
We later learned that, without our consent or your advice, you (Lee) subcontracted the job at the rear of the building to a mate called Chris Ball of "Euroscaffolding", who, despite waiting for two weeks only erected a lower storey scaffolding platform at the rear of one of the three buildings required.
Lee - you told me you had paid Chris to do the work.
I phoned Chris and Lee repeatedly but was fobbed off with silly excuses like "It's raining we can't come round"
or
The scaffolding is being brought from London, then Essex or "we are having to buy some special parts"
In desperation to finish the project you had not completed between you both, and despite waiting 3 weeks we engaged another company called "Absolute Scaffolding" who came round the next day and worked their ba**s off to complete the job.
We later learned there was friction between the various scaffolding companies for reasons that we will not go into here and from which situation the three innocent neighbours were caught up in.
On learning we had engaged another scaffolder Lee, you sent round four noisy and aggressive youths to dismantle the scaffolding at the front at 7:30 am on a Saturday, who, when I objected to them doing this without any prior notice, started to threaten me with physical harm, and for that reason I called the Police.
The Police called you on the phone and you drove past without stopping in your car, shouting from the window that someone else had got involved and so you were "out of here". (very big of you then, Lee, to send 4 lads round with menaces as you seriously disturbed a pensioner with medical problems and a heavily-pregnant lady living at one of the houses in question.
Scaffolding was laden with building materials and rubble sacks which your youths threw all over the front gardens and borders damaging new gutter pipes and 5 litre containers of PVA and broke new roof tiles in the process.
They did this wilfully after the Police had told them to use due care and attention to stack all materials on the front pathways.

I posted a complaint on "Yell" about this poor behaviour - Lee - and you made some threats about setting a solicitor on me (laughable in the circumstances) and you later pulled the A21 advert completely from "Yell" so nobody could see it.

As far as I am concerned, Lee, you have a real problem in your working practices and do not have the sense to at least keep customers informed when you are unable to meet your committments.
Instead of telling us you may have had problems you kept saying (when we phoned you) that you were coming in half an hour, you kept up the lies week after week after week.
Is this acceptable ? No it is not !!

Chris, as for accessing the rear to remove your scaffolding you can do this by contacting me like any normal person, at any time, and making arrangements, after the 4 week period has expired.
As for payment, Lee has already informed me you he has paid you and could be sued if you did not do the work and since the three neighbours paid Lee Burgin GBP1500 out of a total contract for GBP2000 it is between yourselves to sort out but Lee clearly owes us all some money.





Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

[Euroscaff]

Thats a tidy reply you must have more time then me to spend on the net then i do

i have no friction with absolute and is no problem for me if they have done the job for you or coxy , the day in question you rang up it was pissing down with rain and another time we spoke i said id have to get some beams to put over your infilled glass roofs

Anyway no probs havent got your number il wait to here from you as u have mine

[Richard]

Dear Chris Ball,
Thanks for your corespondence !
I have every sympathy for your problems, as I am sure these may arise, but when I did not receive the work after three weeks from starting at the front elevations with the job erected by "A21 Scaff", after many false promises, I had to move on and engage another operator "Absolute Scaff" to finish the rear.

Ofcourse you will understand that I would much rather not have had to pay another scaffolder to finish my work and would rather have had you do the work outstanding, but time marches on and we could not wait for an unimited period.
I repeat we did not agree to Lee Burgon of "A21 Scaff" subbing the work to yourself - he presented this as a "fait accompli" which introduced the problem in the first place.
I hold him to blame and he had no business doing this (without our permission) as the contract was between himself and the three neighbours alone.

My property, and the next one to it, is now covered by scaffolding erected by "Absolute Scaff" - exactly where we need it - and the one building where you erected a lower platform (at the rear) is at the end occupied by a neighbour who has your mobile number now (and has been informed of your request) and can make his own arrangements with you as far as I am concerned.





Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

[Euroscaff]

Dear richard
Excellent reply , i was not aware of the full situation between you and Mr Burgin , i was told that he had got the builder all the work with yourself and that he had been "backstabbed" by the builder on your site and another property next door hence why he did what he did
Bit childish in my opinion but im also aware of the hate that excists between him and your new scaffold contractor

What is his " modus operandi " ?? We shall never know !!