Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Plumber warning - Neil Protheroe
I know everyone has a bad day but this encounter with Neil Protheroe was so awful and upsetting I wanted others to be able to consider it when hiring a plumber.
My household had a leaking kitchen tap. I contacted my landlord and she contacted Neil and gave him my number.
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I'm not offering advise on whether or not to hire him, but it might be helpful to hear my personal experiences so you know what to expect.
Tags for Forum Posts: neil protheroe, plumber
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joanna Leigh on
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Neil Protheroe has been our plumber since 2017, and I wouldn't have anyone else. He is super friendly and respectful, always quick to respond, and really cares about his work and his clients.
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Permalink Reply by Sam R on
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I've used Neil a few times and I've always found him to be professional and very helpful. He has often gone out of his way to help me out when I've had issues.
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Permalink Reply by Terry Mackay on
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Obviously sorry to hear this, I’ve used him several times and he’s always really stepped up and come to my rescue more than once, so he would be a natural recommend from me.
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Will this Protheroe madness never end? Some people have a terrible time with Neil and others haven't. Can we just leave it there?
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I had a bad experience with him as well and found him unprofessional. I would not recommend him.
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Similar bad experience with Neil Protheroe. Not at all interested in revisiting his work if the initial repair fails. Promises to come, then simply fails to turn up, and doesn’t respond to repeated calls. Despite the widespread use of card readers, he refused payment by credit card (which gives us payment protection in the event of disputes), and wanted cash / cheque only, which is a red flag in itself when even market traders accept cards.
I Googled his name and found that Companies House listed Neil James Protheroe, a plumber born June 1970, as the director of P H PLUMBING & HEATING (GLOBAL) LTD, Company number 09491870. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers.... The company was compulsorily struck-off Companies House in 2017, with “all property and rights vested in, or held in trust for, the company are deemed to be bona vacantia, and accordingly wil belong to the crown”, and voluntarily struck off in 2020. Note: whilst his name at Companies House was changed from ‘Niel’ to ‘Neil’ on 20 August 2019, he still signed an application for his company to be voluntarily struck off on 9 September 2020 as ‘Niel’. Strange indeed.
Subjective reviews and objective facts both suggest Neil James Protheroe, plumber and born June 1970, has a troubled work background. My experience with him echoes that of many others. The Protheroe modus operandi is: offer an attractive price to secure the first work. If that goes well, fine, he will do more for you. If it goes badly, he’ll be evasive, make excuses, promise to come, then simply not turn up, and leave all messages unanswered.
I would suggest that anyone tempted to use him (or any other tradesperson) ask him:
- to accept payment by debit or credit card; and failing that
- to provide evidence of his full name (eg driving licence) and evidence of his home address (eg council tax bill) and ideally an email address; and
- to sign a physical receipt (containing his full name and address, and the nature of the work the payment is for) of cash payment for his work, so that should a legal claim subsequently need to be made against him it can be properly served, and there is evidence of the cash payment being made to him and accepted by him for the work done.
These measures will go a long way to protect your money by ensuring you can take dispute a payment or take legal action against him (eg small claims court) to recover it in the event of subsequent dispute.
If he (or other tradespeople) refuses to comply with these requirements, walk away. The measures will flush him out. Cheap is not always best. Honest tradespeople will have no problem with accepting card payment, or providing background information about themselves, and offering receipts for their work or of accepting cash payment.
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