Copnor couple relieved to see back of 15-month dispute over conservatory roof with Square Deal Home Improvements and Windows of Southsea

Back in January 2021 the pensioners agreed to pay Square Deal Home Improvements and Windows of Southsea a £2,000 deposit to replace the bespoke conservatory roof which had long seen better days.

‘Our conservatory roof is approximately 18 years old,’ Dave, 79, said. ‘Except for where we had to replace the individual clear polycarbonate panels, it had become brittle and easily damaged.

‘Over the years, and on two occasions fireworks travelled thought both roofing layers, as have two large stones on different occasions, presumably from aircraft. These also had to be replaced as the damaged panels then leaked.

‘We decided to get the 11 panelled roof replaced as it was very unsightly and the holes on the top layer seemed to be getting larger.

‘We’d used Square Deal previously when we wanted to replace our front door and the glass around the side of it. They came and fitted it and it and all went very well. We were pleased with their workmanship, so we had no hesitation in placing the order with them.

‘The contract confirmed that the firm would fully install a bespoke replacement Ultralite 500 roof system. We accepted a verbal warning there would be an installation delay of 14 to 16 weeks to start the work due to delays in leaving the EU and Covid restrictions.

‘Company boss Maurice Parkin suggested if we paid the final instalment of £2,700 in cash, he would pre-order the panels to secure them at the pre-Brexit price. It all sounded very reasonable at the time.

‘It was also very convenient because Shirley had to go into isolation as her medical condition came under the shielded category, so our only contact with the outside world was by phone or through the conservatory window.’

Dave says what followed was months of contacting Square Deal desperately trying to get a scheduled installation date.

When the Covid restrictions were lifted he visited the firm’s Southsea showrooms a couple of times to check how things were coming along, but Mr Parkin was never available to speak to him.

An agreement was finally reached where Mr Parkin undertook to give the increasingly concerned couple a monthly update about the progress of their order.

However, by the following October their patience began to run out. Time and again they could see other building work in progress around them, but precise information about commencement of the work on their project continued to be elusive.

When Dave discovered the roofing was available from alternative UK sources, he queried it with Mr Parkin who insisted on putting the unaccountable interests of his own supplier before keeping them waiting for months without attempting to rectify the situation.

With almost £5,000 of their savings at stake, Shirley decided they’d had enough. At the end of her tether, ten months down the line with winter just around the corner and still no roof replaced, she asked for a refund.

Despite what was unquestionably an unreasonable delay, the request was point-blank refused. Left in limbo for a further four months, a heated February email exchange resulted in a predictable repetition of the Covid Brexit line.

When the distraught couple insisted their money back option was still on the table it was resolutely ignored leaving them waiting in no man’s land and not knowing where to turn next. At the end of their tether Dave turned to Streetwise for advice.

We got onto the firm as it appeared there were too many unanswered questions for comfort.

While it was accepted the Woodison’s order was placed at a very challenging time, it was an extraordinary way for a responsible company to behave.

It was commendable to have initially led the couple to believe there would be an installation delay of up to five months, but a delay of 15 months was demonstrably unacceptable. Consequently, they’d suffered considerable frustration, inconvenience, anxiety, and distress.

Square Deal had clearly transformed into a raw deal. They’d trashed the couple’s consumer rights, failed in their legal duty to take additional steps to ensure the order was completed in a reasonable time, and unlawfully refused to refund them for the inordinate delay.

Shame had been heaped on their published claim to have developed relationships with their customers based on trust and respect.

Following our intervention, the good news is that after 15 long months, the couple was immediately given a mid march installation appointment.

Company boss Maurice Parkin said: ‘We have been significantly affected by our many various suppliers who have in turn been affected by their manufacturers who have been affected by their raw material suppliers. This is predominantly due to Covid-19 and Brexit issues. As we explained to Mr Woodison, his bespoke specialist new roof is manufactured by one company only in the UK.

‘When we initially ordered this roof product it was not available from our supplier. Therefore, we have had to wait for an extraordinary amount of time with this supplier who has been very delayed.

‘Of course, this roof product is now available from other suppliers who we have no history with, no knowledge of and no accounts with. Therefore, it would be remiss of us to consider any alternative supplier for any of our customers.

Using an alternative supplier would potentially have further complicated an already very challenging and time-consuming situation.’

Dave said it was amazing an installation date was promptly offered after Streetwise had stepped in. They’d been getting nowhere with the situation and couldn’t see a satisfactory resolution in sight.

He added: ‘This caused us a lot of stress, the longer it went on. Our grateful thanks for everything you’ve done for us and the fact that in taking up our story it will hopefully prevent anyone else going through a similar extremely traumatic experience.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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