Waited 3 months to be cancelled 4 days before
We awarded Matt and his company our decorating project on 30th March, with a start date agreed for 13th July. Although it was a long wait, we were happy to proceed based on his reputation and turned down other decorators in favour of his quote.
Over the following months I had to repeatedly chase for the deposit invoice, which never arrived.
Shortly before the agreed start date, Matt contacted us to ask whether he could bring the project forward because another job had been postponed. Despite already having flooring work taking place, we rearranged our plans to accommodate him and agreed a new start date just days away.
He then visited again to measure for panelling and informed us that he had not realised how much panelling we wanted in the lounge, despite this being discussed during previous visits and videos being taken of the rooms when the quotation was prepared. He also raised concerns about the condition of the ceiling plastering and suggested additional work and cost would be required. This was particularly surprising given that his quotation specifically included "making good of new plastered ceilings", so we believed this aspect of the work had already been considered when the quote was prepared.
After I expressed my disappointment that additional costs were being introduced at such a late stage, I received a message stating that he was withdrawing from the project entirely.
The most disappointing part is not that there was a disagreement over scope or price, but that it occurred months after we had accepted the quote, after we had waited for our start date, declined alternative decorators, and rearranged our schedule to help accommodate an earlier start at his request. It is also worth noting that the revised start date was not something we requested; it was proposed by Matt because another project had been postponed and he wanted to fill the gap in his schedule.
Subsequent conversations have only added to our confusion. Having initially been told that there was a difference in expectations regarding the scope of works and concerns about the ceilings, we were later informed that our project would take longer than originally anticipated and that his diary was now too full to accommodate the work. This left us struggling to understand why, after waiting more than three months and committing to his services, our project was the one that was ultimately cancelled rather than rescheduled or discussed earlier.
Unfortunately, just days before work was due to begin, we were left having to find a new decorator at very short notice after investing considerable time and patience in this process. While we appreciate that schedules and circumstances can change, we would have expected clearer communication and a more proactive effort to find a solution after such a lengthy wait.
Based on our experience, I cannot recommend the reliability of the service provided.
