I almost got scammed by damp proofer company last weekend for 15k, my brain is still on a go slow but it caught up just in time. I was getting three quotes from checkatrade as it gives a bit of protection or so i thought, all came round and saw the problems and quoted on what they needed to do to fix it, theirs came through as £2,100 and it came through on the thursday at about 8pm, i didnt respond to it
On the friday i was woken by a loud noise really early and went out to find men digging up my front wall, i said who the fuck are you and they said the boss will be along in a minute, this young cocky guy turns up and says the cost is now 15k, i said i did not respond to the quote i got last night so you have no business being here
I said stop working, he asked me if i had cheques, i said no and he asked me if i had online banking , he asked me to write down his bank details and then said i can come through with you now and help you do it now then it is done, the name on his account was mr --- and not the company name, he was a walking red flag, i told them to go away
A couple of hours later there is kicking the shit out my front door banging constantly for about 20mins i called checkatrade and told her what was happening and she said none of this is ok and if i am scared to call the police , i also spoke to the bank and they said Defo scam and they thought with a mr on his details he was probably scamming his company as well
Then the phone calls started it and would never leave a voice mail just rang back again obvs i didnt answer , also emails and messages , i had told him in writing three times that the job was finished and do not send his team back again, next morning i hear a noise and they back again they had climbed over my six foot
wooden gate, it was locked and bolted but was now wide open and he came as well and was insisting that i had agreed to the 15k and that i had signed a contract, clearly not ffs, i said show it to me and i said if you dont leave right now i will call the police
I got many more messages on all platforms the rest of the day gasslighting me to fuck, i repeatedly asked to see what i signed but of course he couldn't, he was still going late into the evening and a nearly midnight he finally sent me the quote undated and not signed with a stupid line about several of my neighbours had told him i never pay my contractors
The next day was sunday snd my birthday so i blocked him on all platforms to get some peace, it was a day of reflection as i was in itu last birthday
I have been very scared by all this , 3 men and intense pressure to me on my own was awful. I spoke to checkatrade again on the next day and said can i get together all his messages from every platform and how many times he rang me and they will sort it out
My ptsd has been severely triggered-but i was lucky that i had my cbt session last monday and he worked with me to get out of flight and fight mode, i really needed him that day, i am still very very anxious but i still have to get this damp sorted, i have lost wallpaper and curtains and half my kitchen carpet, it is so depressing out there now, so much damp in the air. I have got a surveyor coming n wed and go from there
Sorry for the rant ! I feel lighter now
