| Author |
Message |
Jo108
Joined 03-03-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 01 November, 2005 - 09:56 am: | |
This is a tale of woe that needs to be vented.
My upstairs neighbours have an ill-fitting kitchen sink with a gap between the taps and the wall. When they turn their taps on a bit too hard, water pours down through the floor into my kitchen immediately below. They try their best not to do this, and most of the time they succeed, but with 6 children/teenagers errors sometimes occur. They have been trying for around one year to get Pinnacle, the council's property department, to come and fix it. So far three repairs inspectors have visited and logged that it needs fixing, but each time absolutely nothing is done.
Last week it happened again and - to add insult to injury - the water landed on a beautiful and special RHS gardening full-colour encyclopaedia that I had just got for my birthday from my boyfriend a week before. This was too much to bear, so I called Pinnacle myself this morning to increase the pressure. I was told there was no log of any notification from upstairs about the problem. Basically that my upstairs neighbour had been lying all this time. She had apparently fantacised about the three council inspection visits that have taken place. This was then amended to say oh yes, there had been one visit after all in january, but nothing since then. (This by the way is also not true.) My neighbour corroborates this scenario - i.e. half the time she calls (and she's called a LOT of times) there is no record of any previous contact.
The upshot is a FOURTH inspector will come to repeat the inspection this Friday. What a fabulous use of tax payer's money! And then probably nothing will be done about it for another year. Or two.
Whatever else we may accuse Lewisham Council of, never let it be said that they are not doing their best to create employment!!!
Cllr. Whiting, sorry if thisn't your area, but yours is the only Cllr.'s name I know. Perhaps you can flag this woeful tale up to the right Cllr if not you. In return, I promise not to sue Lewisham Council for damage to extremely precious birthday present book. (I'd still like recycling clarification though, as per recycling thread) |
Baggydave
Joined 19-05-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, 01 November, 2005 - 12:42 pm: | |
Jim Dowd's surgery also deals with council problems as well. |
Brian
Joined 18-04-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 01 November, 2005 - 01:14 pm: | |
I am perplexed. If you live in a council block then threaten to withold rent if work not completed by a stated date. |
Jo108
Joined 03-03-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 01 November, 2005 - 01:21 pm: | |
(I thought I just posted but will try again - apologies if it turns up twice)
upstairs is council but I bought my flat from previous council tenant who bought it off the council. I don't pay rent so can't withold (although I do pay ground rent and service charges annually). It's not a bad idea though, I might suggest that to upstairs. |
Sherwood
Joined 30-03-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 01 November, 2005 - 01:25 pm: | |
Sounds like a simple job of filling the gap with mastic. Next time you talk to Pinnacle ask them which councillor deals with your area. There should be 3 councillors in your ward. Then contact your councillor if the repair is not done within a reasonable time.
alternatively telephone 020 8314 6000 and ask to speak to members support to find out the councillor for your ward. |
Jo108
Joined 03-03-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 01 November, 2005 - 01:50 pm: | |
I don't think mastic will do it. This is more of a canyon than a crack. It a new sink unit that's needed.
Maybe I should contact them cllr now given that's it's been a year already. Or maybe wait to see what happens after this Friday's visit. |
Cllrdavidwhiting
Joined 07-12-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, 01 November, 2005 - 02:33 pm: | |
Dear Jo108
Pl email address and contact details to me at:
Cllr_dave.whiting@lewisham.gov.uk.
I will take the problem up, or put you in touch with one of your own Councillors if you're not on my patch.
regards
David |
Anna
Joined 15-08-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 01 November, 2005 - 02:40 pm: | |
I have also had problems with Pinnacle (and similarly own the flat whilst others are tenants): the steps up to the front door were mended so that one of the flag stones is crooked, which if you don't know about it, is dangerous. Also, the guttering at the top of the building is blocked and scaffolding is required to sort this out. An inspector came round in March/April time, but despite a couple of "reminder" phone calls, nothing has yet been done.
Judging from Jo108's tale, it looks like I've got a few years to wait until it's sorted! |
Cllrdavidwhiting
Joined 07-12-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, 01 November, 2005 - 04:27 pm: | |
Hello Anna
Pl also feel free to contact me via email with your details, and I will either look into to matter or pass it to your own councillor if you live outside my ward.
regards
d |
Jo108
Joined 03-03-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 01 November, 2005 - 08:55 pm: | |
I neglected to mention the insurance claim I'm currently making for the mold growing on my lounge wall due to water penetration caused by blocked guttering and down pipe! It should really be Pinnacle that claims on their insurance as it's their liability, however I decided getting it sorted sometime this decade and having a claim on my insurance record (which affects future premiums unfortunately) was the preferable option. The mold is furry, but it's not cute.
Thanks for your response, Cllr Whiting. I'll email you the details. |
Jo108
Joined 03-03-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, 10 November, 2005 - 07:40 pm: | |
Not sure if anyone is interested in this apart from me,but thought I'd post an update. The pinnacle inspector came back again yesterday - that's five times now. I called partly (see below) to follow up on the visit of 4th Nov and they decided to send him (the same guy) out again that "morning" (translator's note: "Between 10.00am and 1.00pm" in Pinnacle speak actually means "2.00pm at the earliest". Everytime.) Apparently the sink problem is going to be fixed within the next two weeks. Watch this space...
The other reason I called was to check up that an inspection booked 4 weeks ago for a cracked and leaky bay window situation was still in their diary for Monday 14th. Understandably, I was a little sceptical. Surprise surprise, no record of the booking or of me ever having contacted them about it. I was told that windows are my responsibility not theirs so it should never have been booked anyway. Actually it's just the glass that's my responsibility. Well it depends who you ask and what the weather's like when you ask them. I nobbled the sink inspector man about it and he duly noted it. Apparently that's all I need to do. Funnily enough, I'm not that confident.
Yet to receive a reply to my email to Cllr Whiting of 1st November. |
Jo108
Joined 03-03-2005
| | Posted on Monday, 14 November, 2005 - 06:35 pm: | |
Cllr Susan Wise has now picked up this case. So my email has not fallen on deaf cyber-ears after all. |
Marianne
Joined 01-07-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 15 November, 2005 - 04:04 pm: | |
Well you are so lucky! I'm still waiting for Cllr Susan Wise to get back to me about my problem - the last time I heard from her was in May.... so good luck |
Jo108
Joined 03-03-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 15 November, 2005 - 04:25 pm: | |
Cllr Wise emailed me on Sunday to ask my address. I was quite impressed by that. The mold in my living room and the rain falling in my kitchen is focusing my mind on keeping on the case with this, so you can rest assured I'm not going to let it lie!
I called Pinnacle again today (why do I do it to myself????) to get an update on the sink, the leaky bay window and the disfunctional drainpipe. Reg - who clearly has a first class diploma in not letting the caller finish their sentence (with a certificate in clearly communicating that you don't care a jot about the caller's problem) - told me that the sink is not their responsibility and no one's going to fix it. I wasn't happy with that so he said he'd get Gary (him of the frequent sink inspections) to call me back when he was off the phone. As that was at 9.30 this morning, all I can say is, that's a pretty long phone call.
But thank you to Mick, another inspector who took my call and talked some sense. Still waiting for him to call me back with the job ref. no. mind you... |
Cllrdavidwhiting
Joined 07-12-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, 15 November, 2005 - 05:32 pm: | |
Jo
I should add that I discussed your problems with Susan and agreed that it would be more appropriate for her to deal with them, which is why you have heard from her rather than me.
Best wishes
d |
Jo108
Joined 03-03-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, 15 November, 2005 - 05:37 pm: | |
Yes, I realised you had passed it to her. That's what I meant by saying it hadn't fallen on deaf ears - I didn't want to leave it without letting people know that you had passed it on.
thanks |
Councillorsusanwise
Joined 20-03-2005
| | Posted on Friday, 18 November, 2005 - 06:32 pm: | |
Marianne
I have just seen your posting for 15/11/05
Please email me the details |
