NO WORK DONE - DEPOSIT NOT REPAID

I decided to write this review because it is my moral duty to warn other people not to fall into the same trap as I did. Up to this point in time, I have experienced months of frustration which could have been avoided if I were better informed. My story concerns the company RenDeco which recently changed its name to Royal Roofing & Building Services. This is what happened to me:

I approached the owner (who I will refer to as Mr. X) to replace certain sections of the roof of my residential home. A deposit of R140 000 was paid and according to agreement, the work had to commence on a particular date. Mr. X never showed up and continuously postponed the starting date. He had innovative excuses which ranged from loadshedding at the suppliers, the weather, expected problems with the offloading of the material, a busy schedule and so forth. After the fourth appointment failed from his side, I requested the repayment of R140 000 since no work had been done. He refused to adhere to this request which forced me to take legal action. With the help of an attorney a settlement was reached. An agreement document was drawn up and was signed by Mr. X, admitting that he took R140 000 without doing the work for which it was intended. A payback arrangement was part of the settlement but after two months he stopped payment which compelled me to take legal action for a second time. A second payback agreement was drawn up which he signed but once again payments were not made. He simply ignores a signed agreement. Meanwhile, the maintenance on the roof could not be postponed. I had to approach a new contractor which meant that I had to find an additional R150 000. Thus, the initial accumulative amount to repair the roof was R290 000. Mr. X misrepresented me that the deposit I paid will exclusively be utilized for my home project. Instead, he used the money for other purposes and in so doing demonstrated the worst ethical business principle one can think of. Other clients should be warned and I am determined to do just that.

I have the following advice to offer: ▪ If you consider Mr. X to do the job you have in mind, be wary to pay a large deposit because such a deposit can be the bait for the knock you are about to take. Based on my experience, you will have to make provision for twice the deposit amount in order to approach a new contractor if Mr. X doesn’t show up. ▪ There are contractors who do not mishandle a deposit entrusted to them. I advise you to use one of them. They take pride in their companies and offer quality work. A company belonging to Mr. X does not fall in this category. ▪ Lastly, but very important - if you consider Mr. X, you need to have a good attorney at hand.