Advice on Recovering Payment for Incomplete Work

pip-pop

Hi, I recently contacted a company to clear a site I purchased. A few days later, I was contacted by a man who introduced himself as the brother of the company owner, explaining that the owner was currently in the hospital. I met the man on-site, where he provided me with a quote to clear the vegetation. He informed me that disposal of the cleared vegetation would incur an additional cost of €1,000, to which I agreed.

Since I live 200 km from the site, the man sent me videos and pictures showing the work as it was being performed. He also pressured me into making the payment on the same day, claiming that he needed to pay the crew immediately. Acting in good faith, I made the payment. However, when I visited the site three days later, I discovered that the job had not been completed properly. More concerning, though, was that the vegetation had been dumped on the adjacent property.

I immediately requested a refund of at least the €1,000 I paid for proper disposal, but the man has not responded to my calls or messages. I also contacted the company’s owner directly, who confirmed he is in the hospital and that he knows the individual I dealt with. However, he clarified that this man does not work for the company and that he had simply given him my contact details. I did not receive an invoice for the work, and I am unsure of what my next steps should be in order to recover the €1,000 I paid for the disposal. Should I file a complaint with the authorities (e.g., the Guarda), consult a solicitor, or contact the tax authorities?

I would appreciate your advice on how to proceed.

con747

Put it down to experience, you will waste more time and energy trying to get it back than it's worth. If you really want to though maybe try the small claims court if they deal with that type of situation.

McCrack

If the company is solvent and better yet an insurer indemnify it, an avenue might be issue a data protection action against the company for breach of GDPR (passing your mobile to a third party) and as part of that claim the money you paid to this third party could be added as a material damage item to the overall claim for for compensation.