Lavora Reviews 15

They don’t have a return procedure
I keep contacting them to give the return process but they failed to do so.

Absolute joke of a company, avoid at all costs, I worked for them for 2 days, didn’t know their head from their a**e, I’ve installed raised flooring for over 12 months, and knew within 2 hours of working for them that they were a scam company. After I resigned with immediate effect, he then refused to pay me for the days I’d worked. No reputable company would ask for a deposit upfront

Avoid like the plague. Booked the company to re insulate and re board the loft in our little bungalow and paid a £1960 deposit. Written contract agreed work to be done week commencing 23rd January 2023.
Numerous telephone calls to confirm start date unanswered, messages ignored, e-mails ignored, even went to the factory where it was closed up.
Needless to say no one arrived to do the work and still cannot contact anyone.
Lavora are now in breach of the agreement.
Interesting to check details on Companies House web site, where the owner, Ashley Darren Butterworth appears - I have to admit that at my age I struggle to fully comprehend the information - to have history of starting Ltd Companies and closing then in quick time.
This man has mo concience and no compassion, to take that amount of money from an elderley couple trying to sort the current crisis is disgusting.
We too will be contacting the fraud investigation team and exploring the rogue traders TV option.

Signed contract for loft ladders additional insulation and floor boarding 23rd September plus a light fitted. I thought they had forgotten me so phoned and got told fitters had Covid. Told best date 18th November .No show. then told 23rd November. No show. Got new date 20th December. So eventually 2 guys turn up and the job was un finished to my standards. They damaged the wiring in the loft, the lighting boss on the stairs, left a 4" x 2ft piece of plasterboard missing from the ceiling. The screws holding the hatch architrave were not countersunk. They did work all day but they left a job cosmetically sub standard. The ladders work well and the flooring is acceptable . They left a number to call if I needed any decorating or painting doing as they did other jobs as well. We signed off the job just to get them out of the house .Got electrician in to repair electrics and finished the other jobs myself. Cannot contact the firm, so no customer service, so am forced to write my review. They employed bodge it and scarper and are not a five star company

Be aware before you part with 75% of your money.

We paid Lavora £959 on 1st November to do some work in our loft. The surveyor was very good and friendly which is why we were willing to part with 75% of the cost up front. We even got to speak to the Manager Ashley D B (from Ashton Under Lyne, full name is public record) who was very thankful and assured us they would do the best job possible.
This was a lie.
We were given a date of 1st December for the work to be done. When we enquired a few days before what time the workers would be coming the Manager stated that they couldn't do the job due to a reduced workforce. He gave us another date of 23rd December. This did not happen either, at which point we asked for our money back. The Manager said we could have a refund on 3rd January once the offices were back open.
Since 3rd Jan we have not been able to contact him, he has not completed even a minute of work, and has not refunded our money. We have also found lots of other people in the same boat as us all waiting for their money back. He does not pick up any calls nor does he reply to his WhatsApp even though he (or someone he has employed) reads the messages. His surveyor has messaged us saying he left the company due to the Manager and Lavora being such a dodgy enterprise.
Please do not give your hard earned money to this company. We have contact Fraud departments at our bank, local police, and National Fraud helpline as well as the Citizens Advice Bureau.

I would love the Manager to honour his word and refund the full amount so we can use it on our children instead. I doubt this will happen though as so many of us are in the same position.

Multiple false promises on completion of work. After requesting cancellation and a full refund on multiple occasions as work not carried out when advised, work finally done, to a decent standard, I must advise.

Fitter then demands payments of full remaining balance (70% deposit paid initially) before work checked. Manager phones up, arguing with fitter to obtain full payment. Fitter pleading with us for payment or he will not receive wage.

FEEDBACK - No complaints process, no invoice providing clear breakdown of proposed partial refund offered, no contact for multiple days so very poor communication. Breakdown between surveyor/salesman and warehouse/fitter, as quote differed from final job, missing parts. An extremely bad experience

A very disappointing experience. If you have any doubts at all about Lavora, please take extra caution.

We thought the quoted price (over £3,500) was steep. We were also a little concerned when we were asked for a 75% deposit upfront. But we trusted Lavora based on customer reviews. In addition, the surveyor sent to look at our loft told us the job would "only take one day, maybe two at most" based on his findings. He took some measurements, said that we required a wooden loft ladder and a new wooden hatch, and off he went.

Then the problems started. The workmen sent by Lavora were supposed to arrive at 10am on the day (December 8th). They arrived after 11.30am. Not a major problem but a sign of the disorganisation to come. Upon arrival, the workmen told us that our ceiling was not suitable for the work they had been asked to do by the surveryor, and that they were not insured to carry out work that “affected the structural integrity of our house”. This caused a disagreement between the workmen and their manager – more time was lost as they argued with each other on the phone.

We were also informed by the workmen that we needed to order new parts (a metal ladder instead of a wooden one, which meant we no longer required a wooden hatch) because a wooden ladder with a new hatch could potentially cause our bedroom ceiling to collapse. This was NOT something we were told by the surveyor. We were then informed that we had been over-charged for materials because the surveyor had taken incorrect measurements.

When we contacted the manager about this, he confessed the surveyor was NOT professionally qualified. We asked why we were not informed that the weight of a wooden ladder might bring our bedroom ceiling down, but didn’t receive an answer. We had to find out both of these crucial facts by asking the workmen… 6 weeks after the survey.

There was then another disagreement between the manager and the two workmen, yet again about the measurements taken in the loft and whether the boarding pieces would be able to fit properly. By this time, it was 2.30pm on December 8th, almost five hours after the scheduled start time, and work on our loft had still not started.

The workmen eventually drilled in the loft legs, put roughly 25-50% of the insulation and boarding down, and left for the day. This was at 4.30pm. The job was only partially completed, but we were assured that Lavora would “send someone over tomorrow to finish the job”.

However, the next morning (December 9th) the manager claimed he had outstanding jobs with other clients, and that they were a priority now. There were no workmen available for us as a result - our job would NOT be getting completed within "one or two days" like we were promised.

Because of the many changes that had now been made by Lavora employees, we requested to work out a new bill with adjusted costs. This was rudely and completely rejected several times over the course of several phone calls.

The manager also referred to me by an incorrect name on FOUR different occasions during our many phone conversations and emails. He also admitted that our case number (and personal details) had been mixed up with another client's. I’m now wondering just how many times Lavora might have breached GDPR. During one conversation, the manager said he had photographic evidence of work being completed on our loft… before realising he was looking at another case.

We made it clear we were not asking for a full refund or a cancellation. We told the manager we were happy to pay for materials and the partial job. We asked for the wooden loft hatch to be removed from the order, and for the wooden loft ladder to be amended to a metal one (based on Lavora staff recommendations) and for the cost to be adjusted based on those alterations. As stated previously, this request was repeatedly refused in a manner that became increasingly bad-mannered and stubborn.

During one phone conversation on December 9th, the manager asked me (in a very accusing manner), “Why don’t you just do the work yourself?” I said I hired Lavora for the job because they’re professionals. He could only say in response that “lofts aren’t a nice place to work”. Puzzling.

The manager once more refused to deduct the price of the job based on changes made by his employees. He raised his voice and asked questions in a very accusatory, patronising tone. He stated that I needed to take responsibility for the future of his business and said I needed to put Lavora’s profits before my own concerns.

As of the time of writing (Dec 14, 2022), we have made our concerns known to the manager in an email. He has not responded. Now Lavora are listed as "permanently closed" on Google. We're now seeking advice from Trading Standards. (Since writing this review, the company has miraculously reopened).

We have chosen Lavora through check a traders and expected to deliver professional service but unfortunately it wasn’t the case. Even workers were unhappy when they arrived due to not being paid. Traders has to evaluate Lavora whether they should still be running a business or shut down. Definitely keep away from Lavora.

Thanks for the extra space. Friendly, skilled and reliable. 5* Service.

They are now calling themselves as loft doctors I went for another quote to get work complete realised they messaged with same number. Would not advise you to go with this company. I had ordered loft flooring paid 2k upfront, the fitters came in on 3 occasions hardly did any work. On third time the fitters left saying they have not been paid. Since then I have made numerous calls (only get answer machine) written loads of messages and the so called 5 star service have not bothered calling, once they have your money theres
no customer service. I'm still waiting for them to call me if not I might need to contact trades as they are not responding to my complaints.

*** UPDATE 4/1/2023- Lavora are not returning calls/emails, despite being asked by Ashley to send over the pictures as evidence, which we sent on 7/12/22. ***

We had a lovely salesman come to inspect the roof space and to calculate a quote. He was very efficient, got plans drawn up during the initial visit and we paid our deposit. I had follow up calls from the office to confirm the date it would be fitted and what to expect on the day. We were assured that the fitters would come to do the job and leave it as it was when they found it.

Unfortunately we were left with a huge pile of insulation in one corner of the roof space and boxes/rubbish/large planks of wood scattered across the insulation around the eaves. I’m disappointed to say that the overall job was not very professional, with misaligned cuts in the wood and gaps between the boards. I could have turned a blind eye to this however on looking back at the original plans drawn at the time of the quote and measuring the boarded area, we also realised it was approximately 5ft shorter than we were quoted.

I got in touch with Lavora sales team the day it was fitted and asked for someone to come out and take a look. I was told my email was forwarded to the installation team but have had no response since. Very disappointed considering I heard back within 24hours when I originally requested a quote.

Very frustrating to have spent £1100 for something that was put across as a premium product, to end up with such a poor finish and not what we asked for.

This company is ridiculous. They told me £1900 to do my whole loft and insisted to take deposit of 75% of the final agreement. They sent the Workers to do the job and told me The manager had told them they can’t do the job unless I pay an extra £1225 on top of the £1900 we had originally agreed on. Their assistant rang me saying they can’t cover the whole loft AFTER I’ve already placed a deposit and workers had been sent out. They then refused to give me back my deposit despite no work being done at all. This is a money stealing company AVOID AND GO TO SOMEONE ELSE!!!

I'm just not that impressed with the whole experience. I made a booking for a visit to quote for my works. The salesperson didn't turn up as agreed, I emailed the company and was advised that if I agreed to let them come out and quote I'd be given a 10% discount for the inconvenience - great! I replied with a date that was suitable but no one came back to me and at that point I thought I'd go elsewhere at some point in the future. A few weeks later I was called by a different salesperson to see if I was still interested - great - made a booking. The salesperson was lovely, friendly and knowledgeable. I told him about the 10% discount but this was not given. I booked the works in for half term. In the morning I received a text to say the guys would be on site at 10am. This came and went, 11 I got a call to say they were on their way there had been a delay. At 12:30 they finally arrived. I asked them what the delay had been but they didn't know what I was talking about. I realise that this wouldn't have been their fault but I had planned all my day around a 10 start. The lads cracked on and were very nice, however, they did knock off and smash mirrored picture frame off my wall, that was the 2nd time that week something had broken for them. They did knock £50 off the total but that really wasn't the point. Nearly finished the chap in charge asked if I knew that I would need arcitarving around the opening, no I hadn't been told this at any point. The salesperson had told me it would all be finished off and left tidy and no extra cost or work would need to be done. They could do this but it would cost £150. At this point I agreed as it is a nightmare getting trades out to do jobs at the moment. It still looks tatty and there is an area of my ceiling that will need to be plastered and the whole ceiling painted. Its just not been finished off properly and looks a bit rubbish. I was advised it would all be finished off and that I would need to do nothing else at the sale pitch point. I've got boarding, I've got a bigger loft hatch and a fixed ladder which is fine but the overall service I have received from start to finish just isn't that great. Maybe get a couple of quotes and check what is actually included or not before going with them, maybe I was just unlucky. I do have some photos of the finished installation but I cant add them here.

I asked Lavora to help me for loft insulation and boarding. I like the ways they are doing:

1/ Onsite visit: The team have taken video clips with voice over. It is to record our requirement and the scope of the requested work. The team could tell me the exact price and the lead time of the work.

2/ Contacts: I have the name card of the contact person of the engineering team to follow up.

3/ Workmanship: nothing to complain. Nice job in 2 days.

One point that I could not have 5-star is that, without any prior notice workers did not arrive to work on the agreed date (which has been written on the contract). I am not sure if there is any miscommunication between the sales team and engineering team. For this, with the name card I reached the engineering team to follow up. I appreciated the team could immediately arrange another date in the same week, and committed to the job accordingly.

Overall, I recommend readers to take Lavora for works.

Great service from Lavora. Loft boarded, hatch and new ladder fitted. More than happy with the result. Chris and his team did a great job on the day and completed within the day predicted.