Wates Group Reviews 417

Absolutely useless service, 2 weeks & a weekend without a shower. First I need a plumber who turned up scratching his head, advised I need an electrician who turned up scratching his head & advised me I need a plumber. Absolutely terrible contractors who don't know the difference between their a**e & elbow. This was booked in as an emergency repair to start but I haven't had a wash for over 2 weeks!!! & I'm no further forward

They never answer the phone on hold for 30 minutes didn't turn up for jobs caused me loss of work and time owed to my employer

Very poor services I'm really disappointed never keep their appointments.

Plumbers came to fix my toilet. Kept disappering during the job. Then said going to get more bits and never returned. Almost 4 Wks now. Made my toilet worse. Left it in a mess and unfinished. Doesn't flush properly and keeps getting blocked 2 other plumbers (from wates) came out since, did nothing and said the ones that started the job needs to come back and finish it. Wates CC never answer their phone. It's draining having to deal with Wates

Building overpriced and poorly made. Repairs dont get done no matter how long or how much you harass them

the most disgusting company ever with unprofessional staff especially the managers. stay well away from this company if you dont want to suffer.

Customer service is disgusting the staff are unhelpful, I've had a dead rotten rat smell travelling throughout my flat for the past 1 month & half and nobody from WATES has put this as a high priority. I spoke to SANDRA today and her attitude was appalling she spoke to me with no respect and a disregard for the severity of the issue at hand. She kept placing me on hold without explaining why, and then also threatened me with the cancellation of the job!!! She needs to have disciplinary action taken against her as I explained my mother is suffering from mental and physical health issues due to this issue and has severe breathing difficulties and is trying to avoid inhaling these toxic fumes and would like this matter escalated to the highest priority. Instead Sandra spoke to me with disrespect and no real care for our issue whatsoever. EVERYTIME I ask to speak to a manager they are always "in a meeting" I was told I would get a call back from their Planner Alanta, she was supposed to call me back on 4 different occasions and never did!!! Its starting to feel like we are being discriminated against. I will be going to the HOUSING OMBUDSMAN to file a complaint, as I'm aware all your calls are recorded and I have enough evidence to prove negligence on your behalf and under GDPR law I am within my rights to request for all this information.

WATES Electrician arrived as scheduled via Council landlord, and when ID was requested, plumber explained that WATES HAD NEVER ISSUED ANY! despite repeated requests over a 4 month period. Raised Stage 1 Complaint with council & council response was “they’ve (WATES) have spoken to the individual (the plumber)!!!” & council were satisfied with that!! Plumber was also scheduled at same time a the electrician, but never arrived, with no explanation or apology provided by council, & apparently work order now closed, with accusation that “access was denied”. Council landlord accepts substandard works and performances and desperate not to “inconvenience WATES” when valid issues raised.

Contracted to replace our kitchen, this was set to take place in 2022, (though already two years behind schedule). Number of failures from start to now and kitchen remains no close to being repaired, despite me chasing continually for an update. Number of failings, to name but a few.
1. Communication - do not respond and constantly have to be chased - third email sent in under three weeks and no response. (This is in conjunction to the numerous email exchanges over the last few years with various RLO etc). I fully understand how busy the world is, but this is not the first time and patience depletes after two years.
2. Competency - surveyor who assessed the kitchen incorrectly completed the assessment, this delayed the process again, resulting in us not being allocated to a previous schedule of works in the Camden Borough, very frustrating.
3. Timelines - kitchen expected to be replaced last year, then advised April 2023, we were working to this and understood the challenges had, however in early January, we were advised there would be further delay (no timeline given) due to schedules and changes within the supply chain - no contact since. How as we approach the end of February is there not a schedule of works for at least Q1 and Q2 of this year. With experience in Procurement, I'm curious as to how a change in subcontractors can have such an impact.
It is is one thing to keep messing people around by delaying works taking place and changing schedules, but it is unacceptable to not communicate and misinform people who have been more than patient and complicit in the process. I have gone as far as chasing all documentation that needed completing that in actual fact should have come from Wates but was instigated by myself. This has caused a great deal of stress, we are pensioners and do not need this continual disregard for our welfare.
We need someone from the correct department who has the authority to make a decision and instigate the correct activity to get these works underway and in progress and at the very least right now, share an update on when it will take place! I can provide all the detail relating to this.

AWFUL, please don't use this company. They don't tell you when they are calling. Break things, leave a mess and are rude and unhelpful. They never answer their phones when you have urgent problems. Arrange visits then don't turn up. The list is endless, sadly none of it is positive.

Avoid this company at all costs. Happy to take your money and zero aftercare when something doesn’t go to plan.

Not spoken to anyone on the estate who has a positive thing to say about Wates.

Numerous emergency repairs needed only to be told by their team our address doesn’t exist or that it isn’t an emergency. Avoid avoid avoid.

Wates have absolutely no care for after sales service. They take your money for a new property and once they have it they do not care about anything afterwards. They have tried to fob snags off by saying that they are meant to be there. It has taken over 6 months for logged jobs to get taken care of and when they have been, the problem starts again after a short period of time. They put plasters on problems and don’t repair snags properly. They mostly ignore emails and any contact. Promise workers will come out and then don’t show up. When you spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on a new house, you expect the house to be perfect. Snags happen, but a good company would follow these up properly and ensure customers are satisfied and happy. I will never ever purchase another property built by this company.

Your company is a joke a complete joke. I’ve waited over four years for my roof to get fixed and still have problems every time your workers come they cause more problems . Windows in the house have dropped and they have come and put WD-40 to fix the problem. Enough is enough . And nobody ever picks up the phone. And when you book appointment they never turn up .and then they phone you up and say one of the drivers have been in a car crash which this is happened 3 or 4 times .joke

Merryhill Wolverhampton

The most shocking treatment ever.

No customer care
No organisation.
Hall ways left filthy.

Meant to take 10 days to complete work.

The lift is a trip hazard, leaving covering loose and torn.

Left my front door open even though I'd left keys with them.

Cut through WiFi

Treatment of Elderly and Disabled is a joke.

Wates are refitting my 86 year old mothers kitchen and bathroom,they gutted her kitchen and left her no means to cook anything for a day and a half before supplying a mini cooker which she has nowhere to safely put something that will get so hot,they moved her fridge freezer into another room and placed it so she couldn't open the freezer door,in her bathroom they took up the flooring and left nails sticking up from the floor boards which she could have stood on or tripped over,she was told with less than 24hrs notice she would have to vacate her house for a day so I asked the Wates site manager where she was meant to go for the day,his reply was for her to go to a cafe,I have spoken to the site manager and the liason officer who both think the way my mother has been treated is perfectly ok,UPDATE,Wates failed my mother every way they possibly could,she has been left with builders dust throughout her house,left with heating that doesn't warm up,she's 86 for gods sake Wates show some care for a change
UPDATE
3 weeks later Wates has failed to clean the dust from my mothers house,when I bring the problem to Wates attention again they promise they'll sort it but then ignore my calls when the promises are broken yet again,never have I met so many uncaring people working for a company that was meant to improve my mothers life instead it has been 100% detrimental to her health,three weeks ago she was happy go lucky,now she has visited the doctor and is now on tranquilzers still living in her building dust covered house

I am still waiting for an emergency plumber call out for the past 4.5 hours. I was told they should be here within 4 hours. I called them and the operator was chewing and very casually said they still have a few more hours and they will be with you in 2 more hours. Due to the drainage issue my heating is not working and I am at home with a child. I am so upset. I wish I had somewhere to go where I don't have to deal with people who don't want to do their job

If I could rate a 0 I would.
Their customer service is APPALLING.
I was on the phone with “Maria” on the 8th December because our shower had broken and we simply couldn’t afford to use the heating to have baths everyday until the 4th January 23, when they said was the earliest they could come.
“Maria” was so so rude and didn’t seem interested at all in helping me.
She kept huffing and puffing down the phone at me while I was trying to explain we simply can’t afford to live let alone use the boiler for hot water everyday. I simply and kindly said to her I don’t appreciate your attitude with me I’m asking for help, she got very defensive and rude and nearly ended the call with me.
In the end she managed to fit us in earlier on the 20th December (today), only to now find out she didn’t book it in at all.
I have been trying to get in contact with wates to leave a complaint and try and resolve the issue yet they don’t want to know.

Zero customer care especially if you are Elderly or Disabled,
They offer no support.
They need Training on how to treat people.
If you complain they are rude or argumentative, then you will find you're work is put on hold,as pay back.

No shows is a daily occurance.
No apologies.
Poor standard of work.

If the say work will take 7 to 10 days ,they mean 4 months plus
No respect for your home.
Customer care usually means they will do anything to make you happy.
Give you excellent service, be helpful,
Adhere to complaints.

Sadly waites don't understand the meaning of customer care.

Very unprofessional.

Co ordinators are a joke.
They lie telling you certain trades are due that day .
Yet when you approach the Person yourself they have no idea ,
Co ordinator haven't said a word to them.

Having said that there are a few good sub contractors like Astwood and Argus.
It's just waites that are the problem

I can't believe anyone deliberately sets out to do a bad a job so if I give them some benefit of doubt, I would say that they must be extremely understaffed and/or have built up a massive backlog.

There was a list of work resulting from a damp & mould survey performed by a surveyor around the start of November. Was given several dates on which we could expect visits for the work to be done, with the final day being 1st December.

At this point I would say that only about a quarter of the work has actually done.

One item in the work order was to deal with an external-facing door to keep the rain out. Last week Wates sent a guy who came and had a look, and said he had to go get some parts. He left and never came back.

For the past couple of weeks I have been trying to get through to someone on the phone but no one has picked up. Hours of hold music. Until today, when some kind of miraculous glitch happened and dumped me into voicemail. I was soon cut off but then I got call back from a mobile number.

They really need to work on their communication to keep us informed as to the status of the work to be carried out so we are not left in the dark.

The customers service is bad ,when I spoke with a customer service representative ‘Tisha ‘she was speaking sound sleeping , we have a blocked sink and there is no help they have to train there customers service staff properly they don’t know what they are doing, un trained staff no professionalism bad experience every time , everyone putting bad reviews , Management need to fix this please thanks.