Many people have asked why we have set up Roguecustomer.com and its inspiration comes from the actions of Sussex builder Nigel Gray – one of the founders of this site.

Our aims are to help those who have been victims of rogue customers recover their money, we also want to help those who have been victims of rogue traders and our ultimate aim is to help change laws so that the traders and consumers alike are protected.

We offer a mediation service for members and also free legal advice and help. We also keep a register of rogue customers and traders for our members to see and we will also be offering the chance to chat online to those in similar situations so you don’t have to feel alone.

We also want to hear about your experiences so feel free to email us in confidence and we will always ask your permission before publishing any case studies on our website.

We aim to set up a community within a community, so we will also be running fun competitions and selling Roguecustomer.com merchandise, as well as keeping you in touch with all the latest news.

Thank you

The Roguecustomer.com team

Here is Nigel’s story:

When Nigel was left £15,000 out of pocket by a customer who failed to pay for a conservatory and porch he didn’t mess around. Frustrated by a string of excuses he decided to take matters into his own hands and rectify the problem.

He went with a team of workers in April  to the home of rogue customer Anita Dovey in Elizabeth Road, Shoreham, East Sussex. First , they used a sledgehammer to demolish the porch, complete with its red tiled roof.

Then – as the drama unfolded – they removed the large back garden conservatory, window pane by pane, brick by brick.

All the while Mrs Dovey remained inside the council property. Not even the sound of the slanted porch roof crashing to the ground in a fog of dust brought any protests and she refused to talk to the media outside her house.

The saga began after Mrs Dovey was given permission for the improvements shortly before Christmas. She then asked Nigel Gray Trade Centres to carry out the work and was quoted around £15,000. But after completing the work Nigel began to run into problems with the payment.

Nigel said: “She had already had some work done by another company and said she was expecting money back from them. She showed me a letter from them and I received a phone call from a man saying he was from the building company and the money was being given back. She seemed like a nice woman when I met her and I thought she was going to be like any other customer.”

Nigel said that Mrs Dovey then gave him a cheque for £9,600 for the conservatory but it bounced. He said: “I went to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and met her there. She came out crying and I felt really sorry for her and thought I would do what I could to help her.”

She told Nigel she would cash in some bonds and pay him what she owed but he did not receive any money. He said he received another cheque for £5,000 on April 4 which he said also bounced. Mrs Dovey even told Nigel her husband had died to get out of paying the bill.

He said: "I have been everywhere and there is no one out there to help me. It is costing me about £1,500 to take this all down. The whole thing has come to £21,000 to £22,000. Nigel went to Adur District Council with an invoice for £14,900 when it became clear Mrs Dovey would not pay and the council said it would assist him with knocking the porch down and taking the conservatory back.

Nigel said: "The only reason I am smashing it down is because there is no way I am going to be mugged off. I have had to close my limited company down because of the money I have lost. I have got bills to pay and a family to feed. The workmanship is quality and it breaks my heart to see it being smashed down. It upsets me and it is not good for business."