Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Why I won't be using Neil Protheroe's services as a plumber again :(
I originally recommended Neil last time he did some work for me. He turned up at the time agreed, did the work and was a nice friendly guy who explained exactly what he had done, I was pleased that I had found a good plumber, and popped him a recommendation up on these forums.
That was last year, flash forward to January 2016
I was planning on renovating my bathroom as there had been a leak which had damaged some of the floor and I also wanted to replace the bath with the shower, so I gave Neil a call to give me a quote and a date when he would be able to do the work. He agreed to come round on the 30th Jan which he did and we agreed on the following day that the work would be done on Fri 12th Jan and he would arrive at 8am. The work agreed was to reroute a gas pipe, install a new waste pipe, provide all the pipework for the shower and install the shower tray.
Based on this, organised a couple of days off work so I could spend the Thursday ripping out the old bath giving Neil access to area he needed to work, and also arranged with my partner's Dad to travel up to us to help out as we planned to get most of the work done installing the new shower by Sunday.
Thursday arrived, we ripped down the bathroom and ensured everything was prepared for Neil the next morning. 8am came and went, and Neil didn't show, , I gave him a call about 10ish allowing for traffic problems and got no response, I tried to get in a touch with him a few more times during the day. I eventually gave up and organised another plumber to come give me a quote on Saturday. At about 2, Neil finally got in touch to explain there had been a plumbing emergency that he had to sort out, and he was actually around the corner, I explained that I at least needed the gas pipe removed today, and the hot water capped off so I could continue working. He came round later that day and did that work for me, and said he had some work on the Saturday, but he would be there between 11ish and 3 to finish the work. I cancelled the other plumber as I thought I was sorted, however I was wrong.
Saturday came, I waited and waited, but no word from Neil. Finally at 5pm he got in touch to say he was still on a job and as it was dark and raining he wouldn't be coming today. I asked him for a date when he would come and finish the work, no reply. Finally, he responded on Sunday when I said I was just going to get another plumber, he promised he would attend on Monday, and would 100% be there, he had one small job in the am and would come straight afterwards. So, like an idiot I agreed, made arrangements to work from home....
Monday came, no sign, I tried to call him, no answer, texted him saying I needed confirmation that he was coming, and I would appreciate the courtesy of letting me know what was going on. No response. I gave up, told him he would no longer be required and I contacted another plumber who hopefully is going to turn up.
I don't know why he didn't turn up, I assume that he took on some other jobs at short notice which he is often praised for in the forums. There are plenty of posts of Neil arriving at short notice to fix an urgent problem. I understand that sometimes this will happen, and as long as it's communicated to me I'm ok with that. All I needed from Neil was a call X has come up, I'll be there by Y, I'm really sorry but it's an emergency. However, I didn't even receive the courtesy of a call/text which would have taking him 2mins.
In light of this I'm sad to say, I shall never be using Neil's services again, which shame, because when he turned up he was a great plumber :(
TL'DR
Neil although performs good work when he turns up can be unreliable and non communicative. I would think carefully before booking him for planned work, of course as the many good reports here say, your mileage may vary.
Some other replies of him not turning up:
http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/recommend-excellent-plu...
http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/recommending-plumber-ne... (my original recommendation)
EDIT:
Neil texted me today to apologise for the no shows and told me there would be no charge for the gas work he did. I mentioned to him that I appreciated it that, and all he had needed to do was contact me. Hopefully he will improve this going forward as like I said, he's a nice bloke and a good plumber.
Tags for Forum Posts: neil protheroe, plumber
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Roslyn Byfield on
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I was very sorry to read this, being let down three times, especially as I was thinking of contacting him for a very similar job. I already have a plumber I use but had considered Neil as he had such a good write up from this site. It will be interesting to see what other responses you get.
Your post could well have the effect of deterring many from using him.
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Permalink Reply by Rich on
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His good write ups were exactly why I went for him in the first place. The previous times I'd used him he'd been spot on, I found him to be a nice guy and a good plumber. I did consider whether I to post this or not on Sunday, but decided not to as I really wanted to give him a fair (if not more than fair) chance to do the work, especially after his promise on Sunday that he would come on Monday.
After he let me down again on Monday however, I felt it important to retract my previous recommendation and make a post about what happened, as I would hate for someone to have to go through the same frustration. I'm sure plenty of people will continue to have a great service by him, but I'm sure there are a few out there like me who have been massively let down.
I've managed to find someone else via the forums who's going to come and complete the work tomorrow, so hopefully stuff will get sorted in the end.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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If you'd hired an Architect to get this work done, as we all should because they're a hell of a lot cheaper than plumbers (go figure) then they'd take all this hassle out of it for you and you'd get a really good job done for not much more money.
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Apologies, I'm not quite sure I follow, why would I hire an Architect run showerpipes, a waste pipe and plumb in a shower tray? I didn't think an architect would take on that kind of work or am I missing something?
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Permalink Reply by Lauren on
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Maybe you could take this up personally with Neil? It does sound like he let you down without good reason but as we all know there are two sides to every story. I don't know him and have no reason to stick up for him other than your post could potentially ruin his livelihood. I know you are upset but it sounds like he is a one man business and you can't please everyone all the time - sounds like he was doing a good job for the other folks, perhaps they would leave him a good review? It seems to me rather unsporting to issue a whole page negative review then quote other threads. It's really hard running your own business I wonder have you told him you have left this scathing review? I think it is only fair you do. It would be a shame if he went out of business because of this.
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If you read the post you will see that Rich gave Neil every opportunity to respond and explain, and that he wrote the post with regret. Hardly unsporting. Neil let him down repeatedly, despite being given every chance to make amends. I am a handyman, and make every effort to be reliable. If I have a problem, with running late, illness, unforeseen circumstances etc, I always let my client know. People are very understanding, but you have to respect them and give them information.
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I agree. Rich has given credit where it was due in terms of the standard of his workmanship but is rightly miffed at being let down and the lack of communication.
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I tried to contact Neil multiple times to resolve the issue, as I mentioned in my post I gave him multiple opportunities to resolve the issue. All it would have taken is a small bit of communication. The emergency he was dealing with on Friday for example was to restore water to a young mother who's husband was away and he had been working on it from Thursday evening. That's going to take priority, I totally accept that. All it takes is 2mins too send a text or call "This has come up, I'm going to be delayed" or "I'm sorry I need to reschedule". Yes it would be annoying, but stuff happens. I actually expressed this to him on Friday, that I'm pretty cool about things like that, just please let me know, that's all I ask. As you mention you can't please everyone all the time, but you can let them know what's going on.
I understand your concerns about posting something like the above, I thought long and hard about it as it can have an effect on his business. I also waited till I had slept on the issue, and tried to ensure that my post wasn't done in anger and was as honest as I could possibly make it, the reason it's so long is that I wanted to be clear about what had happened and the what the issue was I had. Like I mentioned Neil is a great plumber, and a nice and friendly guy (this was exactly the reason I went back to him). However I think it's fair to mention a negative experience which thankfully seems to be in the minority. The two posts I've linked to actually mainly express positive views, with just a couple of posts mentioning no-shows and no communication. The rest of the posts about him on the forum are positive.
You mention that is seems rather unsporting to issue a whole page negative review, but I wasn't sure what other approaches I could take given the events?
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Permalink Reply by KP on
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Rich I think your review is entirely fair!!! You were just relating your experience and I am grateful for your honesty. A lot of people on here use this forum to find tradespeople and it becomes pointless if people only post positive reviews. I want to hear HONEST opinions. Lauren - It may well be hard running your own business but communication is a big part of it. I get fed up of people saying they will turn up and then not show up at the agreed time. As you say Rich all it takes is a quick call or text but this total lack of communication drives me to despair. I don't think it is professional and I would think twice about using someone who takes this approach
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