Jan 24
A case in New York state has seen a plumber convicted and sentenced to four months in prison for grand larceny in the third degree ( which is basically theft). The plumber called Jerry Cioffi was found guilty of stealing $5000 from a homeowner having been contracted to build a sewer connection from her house to a main sewer. Cioffi received a $5000 payment in April 2010 towards the $10,000 cost of the job, and the homeowner was told that the necessary permits would be obtained and work should be completed by the begining of May 2010. The homeowner was forced to contact the Department of Consumer Protection in September 2010 as no work had commenced and was told that no permits had been applied for either.
According to a report in newcity.patch.com ”Cioffi did not return the victim’s money and did not provide an accounting of the job. The defendant was prosecuted under the state’s Lien Law, which mandates that upon acceptance of money in connection with a contract for property improvement, those funds become a trust to be used for that project only. Contractors are required to keep separate ledgers for each contracted job.
By not providing an accounting of the money and not returning the $5,000 at the homeowner’s request, Cioffi violated the Penal Law and the Lien Law.”
As well as the four month sentence he will serve five years probabtion and have to pay a $1000 fine.
We think it is great news that the New York state law is coming down hard on rogue tradesmen and would like to see more stories like this in the UK!
Jan 02
With the colder weather upon us, and some parts of the country suffering more than others, householders should make sure that their pipes are insulated sufficiently. If they are not you could suffer the nightmare of a burst pipe.
This happens when water in your pipes freezes, as the frozen water then expands with nowhere to expand to, your pipe splits. Then as the ice thaws, you end up with a leak.
We have a project on this very subject which talks you through what to do to fix your pipe if you do find yourself with a burst pipe, or indeed if you have accidently put a nail through a pipe, as the same process applies to either, so take a look at our Repairing a Burst Pipe project.
Sep 20
Thanks to swapmeetdave.com for the photograph. If you are a plumber would you fancy driving around with this on your van??!!
Aug 24
Many thanks to diyfail.com for the image. We thought it would make you smile……
Aug 23
A new word was brought to the attention of DIY Doctor at the weekend.
Oikodomophobia. Apparently this term was coined in 2006 and comes from the ancient Greek ‘oikodomo’ meaning building, but the word oikodomophobia now refers to a fear of tradesmen!
According to an article in the Daily Express last Saturday, nearly five million men in Britain suffer from oikodomophobia. Symptoms include nervousness, sweaty palms, difficulty breathing and sweating, which according to the article is brought about by their lack of knowledge when dealing with builders, electricians and plumbers.
The statistics were gathered via a survey conducted by Thomson-local, with 30% of men saying they felt ‘intimidated and confused when speaking to tradespeople’. One in four admitted to needing help with DIY but admitted they were more likely to turn to friends for help rather than professional tradesmen.
Let us know if you or anyone you know suffers with oikodomophobia or you have any views on the subject!
If you do want to find a tradesman to then click here to get to get free no-obligation quotes for your home improvement projects from reliable and insured tradesmen in your local area.
