"Avoid"

Prime Oak told us untruths to induce us to sign the contract and then relied on the wording of the contract which says everything must be in writing. In other words they can say what they like and it's our fault if we believe them. This is not how a reputable company should behave. The cost of the groundworks proved to be twice as much as we were told. They only provide the specifications for the groundworks once we have signed the contract and paid a hefty deposit and therefore it is not as if we could have checked the actual position before then. In my opinion , this company is to be avoided, especially when we have been told their profit margin is between 50 & 70%!

23rd September.
I should not be surprised but nevertheless it is disappointing that Prime Oak's reply contains many "inaccuracies".
When the designer first came to our property the conifers were not even mentioned. The existence of a well-established apple tree ( nearer than the conifers) was discussed. The designer informed us the tree would not affect the depth of the foundations, which would be standard. Before we signed the contract she told us she had talked to Prime Oak's recommended builder who said he would carry out the groundworks for a specific cost, which we agreed. We were told this would be confirmed in writing.
The problem of the conifers only came to light months later when the inspector of the Building Control company engaged by Prime Oak said either piling or a deeper foundation was required due to the conifers, which more than doubled the cost of the groundworks. We then engaged our own structural engineer who said the apple tree was also a problem.
We never agreed to remove the conifers.The question had not previously arisen. We have no wish to redesign our garden. We previously had no idea what a "strip foundation" is. Were we meant to know this? We relied on the advice given to us by the designer, who held herself out as an expert and perfectly qualified to deal with such matters. If she had said , "in my opinion" or "you need to get this confirmed by an expert" we would have proceeded with caution.We were happy to proceed based on her builder's estimate. We may have been too trusting, which has cost us dearly, but were we not able to trust the representative of this premier company?
Prime Oak do not deny what was said by their designer but say the contract clearly states"everything must be in writing". She clearly and most probably deliberately misled us but such behaviour is condoned and it would appear encouraged by Prime Oak.
Prime Oak have never put forward an option to resolve this problem.Their stance is there is a contract which we must fulfill. When the trees became a problem we suggested they design a smaller building, further away from the trees. We offered to cover the cost of any wasted timber. Our offer was declined.
It is worth noting that their Commercial Director informed us the cost of the timber was a small fraction of the overall price and that most of the windows were standard and could be used elsewhere.I believe their references to a "substantial cost" and "bespoke" to be exaggerations. More to the point , why on earth did they go ahead with the manufacture when they knew there was a problem regarding the groundworks.
At some point we discussed the project with a local builder. He said the groundworks drawings produced by Prime Oak after we paid the 40% deposit did not show the required depth of the foundations. He could not give an accurate estimate without this information. This raises the question, who should advise on the depth of the foundations? We thought it was the designer and that the point had been resolved. If , as Prime Oak are saying,it was for the builder to do so , we would dispute this. All the builders we talked to referred to the need to see the groundworks drawings before being able to quote and I repeat the drawings were only produced by Prime Oak after we had paid the substantial deposit. I would suggest this procedure leaves much room for misunderstandings and possible disputes but obviously in favour of Prime Oak , who will never be out of pocket.
Due to a mix-up between our bank and ourselves , the bank paid £20000 too much to Prime Oak, in addition to the 40% deposit. Prime Oak have offered to repay us just over one half of this overpayment and none of the deposit. "Refund substantial monies"? Another distortion of the truth.
I imagine if a project is indeed standard Prime Oak will provide a satisfactory outcome.If however any complication or problem arises , heaven help the customer. Prime Oak are never at fault and will never compromise. It is always the customer who does not understand or is simply wrong. You have been warned!

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