Bray Roofing are a small roofing company based in Maidenhead (I think). They won't pay the money they owe us. We sold them some hedge plants last March, since when they have disappeared off the radar. It was stupid of me not to take payment up front - I don't know anything about Bray Roofing. Their website looked credible and it was only a relatively small order. Perhaps I also remembered the song affectionately. I'm very sympathetic if Bray Roofing are having problems, but they won't reply to messages or pick up the phone so I don't even know if they can't pay or won't pay. I've even got a court order against them, but the address on the Bray Roofing website turns out just to be for mail so the bailiffs are useless. I'm not going to get upset about it any more than to write a blog about it and warn Bray Roofing's other suppliers and the trade organizations who currently endorse them.
It has been remarkable that this is only the second problemmatic account we have had in over three years' trading, despite the recession. Given that our margins are so small bad debtors were one of the things that really worried me when we set Habitat Aid up. I was determined to pay our suppliers on time. It could be our superb credit control(!) which has helped. More likely it shows how honest folk are in the horticultural trade (unlike roofing companies!). That's despite many of them having to cope with really difficult cash flow issues while they handle larger contracts.
So the main point of this blog is not to talk about the one exception, but to thank all our customers for being so well behaved. Apart, of course, from Bray Roofing*.
*and Bray Roofing, if you're reading this, our bank account details are on the invoice.
Comments
Nick
Looking at their website it appears they are members of Checkatrade. You can make a complaint about a trader who's registered with them.
http://www.checkatrade.com/Consumer/Complaints.aspx
p.s. You can also leave feedback via the Checkatrade website: http://www.checkatrade.com/GiveFeedback/?id=&Member=BraybuildRo...
Yeah, that's one of the things I'm doing. It's so stupid of them to have brought this on to themselves...
It turns out these guys are using the Guild of Master Craftsmen logo illegally on their site as well... grrr....
Hi Gary - can't see your comment?
Nick, have you spoken to local Trading Standards to gain any insight they may have on the business concerned - I'm guessing you may not be the only one :-( ?
I have always found my County's TS organisation very helpful...
Yes I have thanks, at the Guild's sugestion, and they knew all about Bray Roofing. They were very nice but not sure what they might be able to do to help.
Did you get a satisfactory resolution to this Nick?
Phil - good question - it does seem to be ending happily thanks to the local trading standards people. As Gary suggested, they have been amazingly helpful. I wish I'd gone to them before small claims. Bray have started to pay me back in monthly installments, including my legal costs. I hope they'll carry on and I will get my money back in entirety by the end of the year.