Hello group,
New here but thought would be a good place to start.
Here in Australia, part of the governments "Stimulus Package" to help with the recession and to show they care about environment, have offered for eligible home owners only a $1600 rebate to have insulation installed in their homes.
A large number of various trades like air conditioning contractors, roofing companies, building trades etc have rushed at the chace to become approved installers and are heavily marketing their offers to provide this "free insulation"
A few family members and friends have taken up this offer. It seems if you have a modest home, and earnings under the income threshold you get your whole house done for "free"
A few of the people I know who have had this work done have had a few problems like:
Installers damaging the plasterboard (Dry wall) ceiling - ie: foot through the ceiling and walking off the job saying ceiling was already in poor condition and not taking responsibility for repairs, (3 occasions of this happening)
Installers saying the works are complete then the home owner going into the ceiling a few days later to have a look and finding large "hard to get at" areas being not insulated. - (1 occasion of this happening so far)
My elderly mother had a "foot through the ceiling" She called me when it happened (I was out of state & couldn't help her straight away) and I told her not to approve the work complete, but the installed pressured her to sign a govt form when he "finished" the work. (So he can be paid I guess) I called the govt department who arranges this work and was told there was nothing the could do to stop payment and they are not responsible for intervening with problems like this. The guy wont return my calls and has written a letter to my mother saying her ceiling was in poor condition before he started and he is not accepting liability for the damage.
Any ideas on where to start with tacking something like this? I really feel something needs to be done about this sort of behaviour....
I have tried the building services authority, but they don't consider this "building work"
Thanks for reading and any suggestions are welcomed.
Gary.
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.