Smart talker but failed as reno contractor

[unLucky2 0]

This is what happened to me when I engaged True Value Sketches Pte Ltd;

1. Went through list of works to parts of my house. Verbally, he (Terrance Ang) said, everything is ok. And estimated completion date was given too. Nothing was said about not able to do the requested. Measurements were taken at 2 different occasions. 

2. Quotation is not the cheapest but his reasoning makes him sound experienced so choice was made to go with him and his company.

3. Chat group was form with his designer and him. His words from start was always about, even after payment of deposit, and if proposal is not done satisfactory, he will still accept as low as $1,000 reno job, even from any cost reno job, after many revisions to the designs. 

4. He gave schedule of works, but he cannot fulfill it. The words he always use is; "hope that next week can arrange the date". The thing is...'hope' to come to a time when he has time to arrange for the work to be done.

5. Hacked down my window but new window not done, and since we are ground floor, left us to security issues which he puts up boards after making sure we know its payable. Why not hack only when new windows are ready?

6. Designs done by his designer, after amendments, which was sent to the chat group, finally after wasting lots of time, he said, his designs cannot be done, cos there is no such hardware available in the market. (My new contractor got it done).

7. Gave date as to when things will need to come in the till the renovation part but he doesnt bother to do the painting, until that day when the things comes in. So painting was 1 coat and many parts left out and badly done. His painter even dragged the plastics on my flooring and my flooring is currently powdery due to layer of coating is scratched out by his guys when they drag out their things on my floor. Much damage was done.

8. He then added he cannot find hacker and tile people and had to delay cos we delayed, which we did not (I dont know how could we delay when it is his guys who made the mistakes and he coming in to say no finally).

9. Even setting up the fans and lights, his guys are not capable to get it correct and I had to bring in another person who can get it correct. His guys kept saying we are missing some parts. But the guy I called to come in to solve, only took 5min to 10min and resolved it, without any extra parts. It cost me $50 for the other guy, and he refused to admit that his guys couldnt get it correctly set up for 2 days.

10. A lot more things...

11. Finally, asked him to return my money as many things are not done. I have paid about 45%.

12. I took photos of all those not done, even vanity set was done halfway and he charges the whole amount. He said he will not come back to do it. Just deduct but he still charged in full. I told him to come down since he says he has photos from his guys, which they took from far away, and it doesnt show correctly what was not done. Even does not show that the 2nd coating was not done and many other touch ups. 

13. He came up with his non-negotiable amount of refund to us, and I said he seems to leave me with no choice. I did not accept the amount. And he just insisted to come to my house to pass us a cash cheque but crossed. This is absurd as it means he wants to put me through the pain of having to get to the bank. I kept saying to just transfer the money but he refused. 

14. The wrong amount cheque went through and he deemed that accepted. And though i had kept at asking for the remaining sums, which I had even disregard the damages done to my floor and many other little details, he kept at saying that he has proof to all the work done. 

Main thing;

15. I have been trying to get him to come down to talk to him about the details wrong that his workers came down, and not once he comes down to get the work correct. He left everything to his guys to manage and we had to tell them what to do, but at some point, they kept saying they are not told to do this / that. He refused to come down to even check the difference between our photos and his guys' photos for him, as ours clearly shows the work not done. I waited for him to come down, gave him more than 10 days and many messages to tell him that we are about to start painting and he cannot see the proof for himself already, but he refused to come down. I had to carry on to finish my reno by the next contractor as the house is in a mess for some time by then. His English is very good, to sneak around his words and he would point out that he had never promised you but hope only, to get back to u with an answer. 

16. He even blocked my husband's number as he dont want to answer fast. His replies are many days after or weeks. He just drags the time and delay everything. 

This was what happened. It was agonizing that we had to live with the mess for so long and every day, we walked to bed with all the concrete powdery feel on our feet, to get to our beds to sleep. If you want more details, I can provide. 

Edited September 18, 2021 by unLucky2
spelling mistake "in full", not fill

[shaunling 5]

Wah, unLucky2, that sounds like a total nightmare! 😱 So sorry you had to go through that. It's seriously frustrating when you trust someone to do a job and they completely mess it up. It's like, you're trying to build your dream home, not a house of horrors! 😫

That Terrance guy sounds like a real smooth talker, but clearly, actions speak louder than words, right? So many red flags here:

• "Hope" instead of "Will": "Hope that next week can arrange..." That's contractor code for "I'm probably not going to do it." 🚩🚩🚩
• Hacking before ready: Hacking your window down before the new one was ready? Seriously?! That's basic common sense! 🤦‍♀️
• Blaming you for their mistakes: Classic! It's always someone else's fault, right? 🙄
• Refusing to even show up: Like, come on, at least have the decency to face the music! 🙄🙄🙄

It's super important to share these stories, though. It helps everyone else on Renotalk avoid similar headaches. So, thanks for being brave enough to share, unLucky2! 🙏

For everyone else reading this, let's learn from this experience:

• Contracts are KEY: Get everything in black and white. Don't rely on verbal promises, no matter how charming the contractor is.
• Check them out!: Do your homework! Look for reviews, check ACRA, and ask for recommendations from friends or family.
• Don't pay everything upfront!: Staggered payments are your best friend. Pay as work is completed, not before.
• Trust your gut: If something feels off, it probably is. Don't ignore those red flags!

So, Renotalkers, let's talk:

• What are your biggest contractor horror stories? Let's share our experiences so others can learn from our mistakes.
• Any tips for spotting dodgy contractors? What red flags should we be looking out for?
• How do you handle disputes with contractors? Any advice for navigating those tricky situations?

Let's help each other build our dream homes, not our worst nightmares! 💪🏡

 

Here are some extra tips to consider when choosing a contractor:

• Go Beyond Online Reviews: While online reviews are helpful, don't rely solely on them. Try to get personal recommendations from friends, family, or neighbours who have recently renovated.
• Visit Completed Projects: If possible, visit some of the contractor's completed projects to assess the quality of their workmanship firsthand.
• Meet with Multiple Contractors: Don't just go with the first quote you get. Meet with several contractors, compare their proposals, and get a feel for their professionalism and communication style.
• Check ACRA and BCA: Verify the contractor's business registration with ACRA and check if they are licensed with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).
• Use a Project Management App: Consider using a project management app like Trello or Asana to track progress, communicate with the contractor, and document any issues.

And to unLucky2, I'm so sorry you had to go through this ordeal. Have you considered filing a complaint with CASE (Consumers Association of Singapore)? They might be able to assist you in resolving this issue.

Let's use this thread to share our own experiences (good and bad!), tips, and recommendations for choosing reliable renovation contractors. Hopefully, we can help others avoid similar pitfalls.

 

T