ORPINGTON: Tenants take hostage in kitchen renovation war (From News Shopper)

OMG, What are these people moaning about!!!!!! Makes me so angry, they getting a brand new fully functioning kitchen, not having to PAY a thing for it and they still not happy. I work my butt off, and still cant afford a new kitchen... Arghhhhhhhhhhh

angel49, you are quite right.Perhaps these people should try owning their own home where you have to pay for everything yourself. But then maybe that's why they (not at market rate) rent.

Hi All,

I appreciate that a perception is that these people are getting something for nothing and they shouldnt moan, I would agree with you about that in the case of scroungers who ponse off of the state provisions having not worked a day in their life.
However there are a great number of legimate claims for this work to be carried out and the work is not progressing in a suitble or safe manner as in the case of my grandmother who is 66 and has worked her entire life until old age and with that disability stopped her working. She requested a new kitchen as the one in her home has remained unchanged in that house for 30 years.
The kitchin was riped out two weeks ago and yet workers have not been on site for more that two days. But in those two days they have removed all units and aplliances leaving wiring and gas pipes exposed and a lot of mess which makes the kitchen inaccessable. they have not even rang her to let her know that wont be coming out she has sat in for two whole weeks, they could ring to say they wont be working on the kitchin today.
This is both against all health and saftey regulations and normal workings in a residential envoironment. my gradmother is becoming very stressed.
All of the While the council will most likely be paying the contractor for not being on site. Which is a complete waste of funds and budgets this job should take a week at the most to complete so the council are once again wasting money by employing contractors that cant complete a job in a timely fashion your complaints I appreciate but as you have just read not all people are complaining for no reason.

Why don't you have your Grandmother to stay ?

No surprise that its housing association residents having a moan. My heart bleeds for you all in your free homes and benefit handouts. Boo hoo.

Some Housing Association residents moan about everything, I work for a developers, and these scroungers move into brand new homes, with brand new kitchens with granite worktops and hi-spec appliances and still complain!!! Maybe I would be better off living off handouts from the Government and not working!! Makes me so angry!!!

I think people are getting caught up in the residential status of these people; the fact of the matter is that as tenants of whatever organisation they have a right to expect works to be carried out within agreed timelines and to agreed standards. Anything below either of these grants cause for complaint. And you'd be foolish not to expect further, different action if that complaint isn't dealt with or considered.

If it's the fact they pay a reduced rent, sometimes funded by the state, then you should take issue with the state! Which you (collectively) did by voting in a government for those already with money rather than those without.

ho_ho_ho wrote:
No surprise that its housing association residents having a moan. My heart bleeds for you all in your free homes and benefit handouts. Boo hoo.

Hang on a minute!
Not all people in a housing association property are on benefits. Alot of residents actually work and pay their rent.

HayesMum wrote:
Why don't you have your Grandmother to stay ?

she has a dog and we have 4 so it wouldnt work, but i can say they are working on the kitchen now.

ho_ho_ho wrote:
No surprise that its housing association residents having a moan. My heart bleeds for you all in your free homes and benefit handouts. Boo hoo.

rent has been paid on that house for 63 years since my nan moved in she has proberly paid more than the house is worth!!

you pompus load of idiots my wife and i are h/assoc tennants and worked until we were in our seventies and not pen pushing.you think your so high and mighty with your big mortgage and struggling to live
for those who have cleared theirs up good luck but we got up at three thirty am and got home sometimes two am for seven days and were never in the postion to buy our own home APOLLO wrecked our home with the dust left us without a cooker for five days until i thretened then with Environmentan Health i,m diabetic and have to have fresh vegatables we are now in our seventies and have never ponsed in our life and we were quite happy with our old kitchen they put on a contract to us 10 working days this is the sixth wek and still not done we cant go out for six weks in case we miss them have to wait until saturdays to get shopping How dare you pass comment such as those

daniel451heard@btint
ernet.com wrote:
you pompus load of idiots my wife and i are h/assoc tennants and worked until we were in our seventies and not pen pushing.you think your so high and mighty with your big mortgage and struggling to live for those who have cleared theirs up good luck but we got up at three thirty am and got home sometimes two am for seven days and were never in the postion to buy our own home APOLLO wrecked our home with the dust left us without a cooker for five days until i thretened then with Environmentan Health i,m diabetic and have to have fresh vegatables we are now in our seventies and have never ponsed in our life and we were quite happy with our old kitchen they put on a contract to us 10 working days this is the sixth wek and still not done we cant go out for six weks in case we miss them have to wait until saturdays to get shopping How dare you pass comment such as those

Not refering to everyone in H/A, but most are scroungers living off handouts... And then have the cheek to moan and complain!!! Maybe we should all be single parents, no job, and have a brand new homes, kids in designer clothes smoke, drink and we would all be happy!!

I cannot believe the snobbery and ignorance of some people, I know some of the people involved and happen to know that they pay full rent full council tax and often work very long hours , most did not ask for new kitchens they were told it was a safety issue, i also know the rent on these houses is more than i pay on my mortgage, one lady of 70 was left 72 hours with no water . but i suppose that was the ladys fault for being old and not having a mortgage!!!!!

daniel451heard@btint
ernet.com wrote:
you pompus load of idiots my wife and i are h/assoc tennants and worked until we were in our seventies and not pen pushing.you think your so high and mighty with your big mortgage and struggling to live for those who have cleared theirs up good luck but we got up at three thirty am and got home sometimes two am for seven days and were never in the postion to buy our own home APOLLO wrecked our home with the dust left us without a cooker for five days until i thretened then with Environmentan Health i,m diabetic and have to have fresh vegatables we are now in our seventies and have never ponsed in our life and we were quite happy with our old kitchen they put on a contract to us 10 working days this is the sixth wek and still not done we cant go out for six weks in case we miss them have to wait until saturdays to get shopping How dare you pass comment such as those

So pen pushers as you put it don't work hard ! Why because they only lift a pen and little bit of paper. You got up at 03:30 and sometimes got home at 02:30. Really ! what was your job ? Your diabetic so!
My 8 year old is type 1,lives a full life and doesn't moan about a little dust. I respect that you have worked hard all your life. However you sir have become pompous your self within your reply.
Good day.

Please read the article properly i never stated that pen pushers dont work its just a lighter job than physical i feel sorry for littleun its not pleasant at the best of times when i said dust i meant some idiot with a kango digging two inches up off our kitchen floor just to remove ceramic tiles this covered the whole interior of our home in a thick film of dust when i pulled him about it he put a bit of sacking up. the main problem being it wont make any odds who you speak to about apollo you just cannot contact any of them or get an answer because they dont speak the language i Sincerely hope you never experience Apollo Kitchen fitters

i have just read some of the most disturbing pieces of writing .
i have recently had my kitchen done by this group of the most rude incompetant group of cowboys and they have caused my family distress . i work and pay full rent and council tax and unfortunatly was not able to purchase my own home . i dont expect the home that i live in to be given a FREE kitchen and i would pay for a kitchen if i was in a position to do so .
but what i do expect is that when a refurbishment is taking place that these people keep the disruption to a minimum .that is right and written in the paperwork that is given when we sign up to this work being done .
it is now 6weeks since work began and it is still not finished . floor tiles coming up wall tiles that are sticking out with sharp edges .a leak under the sink wires that are not covered in .
And to top it all my cooker was broken by them and we were without cooking facilities for 5 weeks . i was told to drink water from the bathroom while we had no water and i didnt see workman for days .
the staff were rude and inconsiderate .
i dont expect anything for nothing and thats why i pay my way i pay rent which in turn pays for the work to be done. those more fortunate people who have nothing nice to say are clearly ignorant and dont understand that there are people on this planet that are no different to them we all have blood in our veins . They think they are better than others but we all come into this world with nothing and leave it with nothing the path inbetween is unpredictable .
you should think yourself lucky and stop judging people there is only one judge !
Apollo have taken on far to much work Greed i suspect ... i have a nearly finished kitchen that is not fully functional as was the kitchen they took out !! i am out of pocket for a cooker that had to be replaced and to top it all SWALE heating took out an asbestos cement tank from my daughters bedroom and left it uncovered overnight dragged it down the stairs leaving chunks of wood missing and holes in the ceiling where they replaced pipes . hoovered up the dust with my hoover breaking all health and safety regulations .
i would say that no one deserves this treatment and i think that all those who have experienced this treatment should recieve a written appology and some kind of compensation .
if you agree add to ths page and i will email to them as a petition on all our behalfs .

this is disgraceful treatment .



for all you snobs out there are you saying that those people that rent property should be treated like SCUM? just remember one day it could happen to you or one of your children .
its people like you that start wars .

dees1 wrote:
i have just read some of the most disturbing pieces of writing . i have recently had my kitchen done by this group of the most rude incompetant group of cowboys and they have caused my family distress . i work and pay full rent and council tax and unfortunatly was not able to purchase my own home . i dont expect the home that i live in to be given a FREE kitchen and i would pay for a kitchen if i was in a position to do so . but what i do expect is that when a refurbishment is taking place that these people keep the disruption to a minimum .that is right and written in the paperwork that is given when we sign up to this work being done . it is now 6weeks since work began and it is still not finished . floor tiles coming up wall tiles that are sticking out with sharp edges .a leak under the sink wires that are not covered in . And to top it all my cooker was broken by them and we were without cooking facilities for 5 weeks . i was told to drink water from the bathroom while we had no water and i didnt see workman for days . the staff were rude and inconsiderate . i dont expect anything for nothing and thats why i pay my way i pay rent which in turn pays for the work to be done. those more fortunate people who have nothing nice to say are clearly ignorant and dont understand that there are people on this planet that are no different to them we all have blood in our veins . They think they are better than others but we all come into this world with nothing and leave it with nothing the path inbetween is unpredictable . you should think yourself lucky and stop judging people there is only one judge ! Apollo have taken on far to much work Greed i suspect ... i have a nearly finished kitchen that is not fully functional as was the kitchen they took out !! i am out of pocket for a cooker that had to be replaced and to top it all SWALE heating took out an asbestos cement tank from my daughters bedroom and left it uncovered overnight dragged it down the stairs leaving chunks of wood missing and holes in the ceiling where they replaced pipes . hoovered up the dust with my hoover breaking all health and safety regulations . i would say that no one deserves this treatment and i think that all those who have experienced this treatment should recieve a written appology and some kind of compensation . if you agree add to ths page and i will email to them as a petition on all our behalfs . this is disgraceful treatment . for all you snobs out there are you saying that those people that rent property should be treated like SCUM? just remember one day it could happen to you or one of your children . its people like you that start wars .

Most people that have started wars belive in this " there is only one judge ".

Mine has just been completed after seven weeks they told me 10 working days your best bet is a hand written letter to Mr Tony Kemp (Divisional Director ) Apollo Genuine bloke he came to see us after we had the same probs as you
Good Luck

Mine has just been completed after seven weeks they told me 10 working days your best bet is a hand written letter to Mr Tony Kemp (Divisional Director ) Apollo Genuine bloke he came to see us after we had the same probs as you
Good Luck

daniel451heard@btint
ernet.com wrote:
Mine has just been completed after seven weeks they told me 10 working days your best bet is a hand written letter to Mr Tony Kemp (Divisional Director ) Apollo Genuine bloke he came to see us after we had the same probs as you Good Luck

thanks for this i will write a letter to him .

Having seen this article, I have been poked into action. My kitchen was started in the first week of June. They ripped my old kitchen out a full 10 days before I saw anybody else to start works on the new kitchen. Then for 4 weeks I had people in and out of my house for only a few hours at a time before they got pulled out of my place and sent to other jobs. The contractors broke my cooker. Then left me with an unfinished kitchen claiming that it was all done!
Apollo are an absolute JOKE!
I have spent hours on the telephone trying to get my kitchen finished. Only to be fobbed off with excuses all the time. Appointments made where no one actually turns up. Contractors being rude to me beyond belief, one even slammed the door in my face as I was trying to explain what works still needed to be done.
I have had my kitchen light fitting dangling from the ceiling since June.(Apollo workers had to turn off the electricity in order to work in the kitchen with the light fitting dangling due to Health and Safety issues yet have left me living like that for months - what about my health and safety and that of my children?)
Another appointment was made for yesterday for Apollo to come round and re-do my floor and fix my kitchen light - Again no one turned up!
Totally fed up with this, I got in my car and had a little drive around Orpington, visiting known suppliers for Apollo and eventually tracked down where these morons are based! I took myself round there, saw the contractor who was supposed to be at my house yesterday morning and asked him why he hadn't turned up to be told that they had to "order" the light fitting and floor tiles. He was again extremely rude to me. So asked him who was in charge and he pointed me in the right direction. I parked myself in the middle of the forecourt and had my say to the site supervisors, managers etc. While I was there I spotted containers cram packed with lights and floor tiles and yet mine apparently needed to be ordered? I don't think so! Amazingly, my turning up at their yard snapped them into action! at 4.30pm an electrician turned up and sorted out my light (I had been asking for and complaining about this since June)! This morning before I left for work another contractor turned up to make a start of the floor! Amazing! And yet apparently these items had to be order!
For anyone else who is having problems with these cowboys. Their yard is situated near the old Police Station in St Mary Cray. There are 2 derelict tower blocks behind the row of shops, take a drive round there. You will see all of their containers stacked up. And their Hub where they all drink endless tea and get nothing done! Go and have your say! And see for yourself how quickly they then snap into action. I am glad I hunted them down yesterday!