ARB Landscaping and Groundworks.

ANDY BRYANT.

BRYANT LOGS.

So, I want to let you know about this fella, ANDY BRYANT. ANDY BRYANT advertises that he has a few skills on his advert here and he USED to have a little side line called BRYANT LOGS. So why have I decided to bring this fella to the internet? Well, I will tell you about a little job he did for me at a house in Ilminster. Now you can look ANDY BRYANT up and whilst you used to find him, you can’t anymore. You can however obviously look up ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS and read his 100% feedback of how good he is and I am sure that they are true accounts but it is unfortunately the not so good reviews that people don’t get to know about.

In September of 2018 I asked on a couple of the various selling pages covering the area close to Ilminster, if anyone could recommend someone to come and trim and top the conifer hedge at the house. Now I know how big the trees are and how deep they are to the back boundary of the house because I planted them many years ago as kid with my Dad. They were planted to create a ‘privacy screen’ and a ‘sound barrier’ from the blocks of flats behind. To be fair, they did their job incredibly well, being as they had been in nearly FORTY YEARRS…

Want to have a real good tidy up.

So on the 18^th of September I received this message from ANDY BRYANT who called himself BRYANT LOGS and ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS. As you can see, the screenshot now shows just as Facebook User as he removed his account, the reason for which will become clear later…

ANDY BRYANT, BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS did indeed meet me at the property where I told him about the need to trim the hedge to the left of the garden, to completely remove the shrubs and growth from the right hand side of the garden next to the garage and to trim the front of the conifer hedge and take six feet off of the top. I also asked ANDY BRYANT, BRYANT LOGS and ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS about the possibility of trimming the front so that a toy box could sit under the tree branches, he said he would look at it. It is important to say now that I did not accompany him to the garden as I can’t get there on my own however the instructions were clear. When he returned from the garden, he said he had looked and could not believe how far from the rear boundary they were, “You could park a car in that gap!” he told me. So, it was clear to me that he had been in to the trees to know that so all was good. He didn’t actually say anything about the possible trimming of the lower branch to allow for the box so I assumed that it was not possible.

ANDY BRYANT, BRYANT LOGS and ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS gave me the quote verbally at the property and I asked how it could be such a good price. He told me that he ‘recycled’ the waste by compressing everything in a machine he personally made, and by doing so makes long burning logs that you see in the supermarkets etc and so he makes his money there. We spoke briefly about it and then I asked for a “written” quotation which was done via messenger. The acceptance was done by reply…

We continued to use the Messenger app to communicate as shown…

Understandably ANDY BRYANT, BYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS did not want to be trimming trees in the rain and so as he states, he will be there on Monday, perfect. I was so impressed with his price I actually asked him if he would like to quote for another job at another house, he did not get back to me on that and after what he did at the first house, I can see why and I thank my lucky stars he didn’t….

So, on Monday evening I arrived at the property with my Son who helped me down the driveway and to the rear garden. Holy shitballs, I simply could not believe what I was seeing….

From this…

To this…

ANDY BRYANT of BRYANT LOGS and ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS told me that as they cut the front of the hedge, they noticed that there was nothing in behind. SURELY to God he would have seen this when he managed to let me know how deep the trees were and why the f*** would you just cut away everything without checking first. SIX FEET OFF THE TOP I SAID. I stayed all of a couple of minutes after that and had my Son help me back to my car. I was in absolute shock at what he had done but figured as he knew supposedly what he was doing, after all he was called BRYANT LOGS and ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS, it would be squared away the next day, to be honest, it wasn’t like we could stick it back on. Ah yes, the next day…

(The block of white is covering the previous part of the conversation regarding requesting a quote for works at another house.) As you can see, ANDY BRYANT of BRYANT LOGS and ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS has allegedly fallen from the tree, hold that thought as I receive this….

So he has allegedly broken his ankle and I say allegedly. I replied as shown to wish him a speedy recovery and to ask if he had finished the works… I was not convinced that he had actually broken the ankle as it seemed a little too convenient having seen the carnage at the property. As curiosity was getting the better of me, I went to the property and spoke to a neighbour, (she is whole different story believe me), and after she had finished bitching about the state of the trees and asking when he was coming back to finish them, (which I added to the ever growing list of stuff she was bitching about), I told her of his accident. Her reply…  ”Well he didn’t have any trouble brushing the driveway and driving his van away.” Now do you see why I say he has allegedly broken his ankle? I could not get to the back garden as I was on my own so I called my Brother to meet me after he finished work to help me to go and see how it had been left.

Until I could see the state it had been left, I sent a message to test the water on when he would return…

I chose to wait on the reply until I had seen how it had been left, remember how he said he had FOUR BRANCHES left to cut…

BRACE YOURSELVES….

BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS.

It’s like a chainsaw has been swung around by a drunk blindfolded person as a drinking game…

BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS.

As you can imagine I am not impressed and set about finding someone who can come clear up. I have tenants moving in in just a few days. I asked around and a tree surgeon got in touch, he showed me works they had done but he did say it would likely be a couple of weeks before they could carry out the works. To give him a ‘heads’ up as to what he would be dealing with I sent him pictures. He was horrified and said he would be over that evening to look. Meanwhile I am getting more messages from BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS…

As you can imagine I am trying to find out how much this shower of shit he has left me with, is going to cost so I can’t reply, then I get this…

I don’t like threats. I simply replied with this…

I did not receive a reply to this, so I sent another…

As you can see, BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS has removed the account from Facebook,

  No surprise this was ignored so I sent again…

Why can this not be sent? Why is it now showing Facebook User? Let’s find out…

It turns out that BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS deleted their Facebook account so I could not find them, however….

And…

This disappeared also. Only one thing to do, good old-fashioned letter…

Dear Mr Bryant.

                                On the 5^th of October 2018 I sent you a message via the Facebook Messenger application that we had been communicating on, asking for the details of your public liability insurance, so I could submit a claim against you for works required as a direct result of your “trimming and topping” of conifer trees at a house I own in Ilminster.

                                This message was seen by you but was ignored. I again wrote to you via the same Messenger application on the 17^th of October 2018 which you not only chose to ignore but also removed yourself not only from the Messenger application conversation but also from the Facebook application. I looked for you on the Facebook application and found your landscaping business. I again sent a message on the 18^th October 2018 but you have not accepted the message and have clearly blocked me from being able to contact you via social media means.

                                I am therefore sending this letter to you, recorded delivery, to once again ask for your public liability insurance details. In the event you do not have any such insurance then I would be grateful to receive a postal order sent via recorded delivery to the address at the top of this letter, for the sum of £2420 (Two thousand four hundred and twenty pounds), made payable to     Mr G Pas. Whether it is the insurance details or the postal order you chose to send, it is to reach me no later than Monday the 5^th of November 2018.

The breakdown of the £2420 is as follows;

Removal of trees                                              £920

Stump grinding                                                £600

Replacement trees, stakes and rails        £750

Cost of replant labour                                    £150

Total costs (presently)                                   £2420

If I do not hear from you by the 5^th November 2018 then legal action will be taken against you to recover my losses which will then include any legal costs I incur.

Yours sincerely.

I did not get a reply and so true to my word I issued a claim against him in the small claims court.

ANDY BRYANT, BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS did reply to the court and it was quite amusing and coincidental. He stated that; “I am defending this claim against me as I think that it is overpriced for the work carried out”

Not because he was not in the wrong but because he was challenging the price charged by PROFESSIONALS. Unbelievable. It does get better though…

“The company BRYANTS LOGS AND LANDSCAPING has ceased trading as I have had to look after my Partner as I am on Universal Credits and I am her carer. We don’t get enough money to live on with rent and bills so I am sorry but I have got to appeal against the claim.”

So he has ceased trading, ironically after I ask for insurance details and certainly in the letter dated 22 December 2018 to the Court. But hang on a minute, let us check when he joined the My Builder site and check his reviews…

Hmmm, interesting that he cannot pay the claim because he is a carer and yet he has been working all this time. More than that though, he was allegedly unable to work due to a broken ankle sustained on the 25th September 2018 and yet he could put a fence up less than three weeks later despite allegedly being in cast!

Anyway, as no surprise at all, he stopped replying to the Court and as such they reviewed the evidence given and ruled in my favour. Awarded me the lost funds of just over £2500 but wait, that is irrelevant as ANDY BRYANT, BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS up and done a runner. Now unfortunately I cannot get my money because the Court don’t know where he is. How do I find ANDY BRYANT, BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS? Well, I just don’t know.

It is distinctly possible that I will have to write that £2500 plus off because the incompetent twat lacks the spine, bollocks, integrity and decency to accept the Court ruling and admit that he did not know what he was doing and pay the money, which is a lot of money. I could offer a reward maybe to the person who gets me the address for the Court so they can chase him, but I run the risk of being accused of “strong arming” to get my money. I just don’t know but one thing I am clear of, by writing this I may just be able to save someone a whole load of cost and heartache. PLEASE think about this…

For someone who has allegedly got 20 plus years of experience, using plant machinery and with the risk of damaging property, why would ANDY BRYANT, BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS not have insurance?

Think what mess you’ll be in if he digs through a water main, gas main, knocked a hole in your house wall. Take him to court? He will just run away like he has with me.

Thanks to some REAL PROFESSIONAL tree surgeons and landscapers, this is what the trees looked like after they had been removed and new planted, the fence went in just before the trees came down which was a prearranged job to follow on from ANDY BRYANT, BRYANT LOGS, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS. But obviously as they were not skilled enough to do it, the fencing contractor had to work around the mess, it is a real shame the privacy has been lost but more so for me is that planting those trees was one of the VERY few things I did with my Dad…

So, I hope that you think VERY carefully before you hire ANDY BRYANT, ARB LANDSCAPING AND GROUNDWORKS. I know there will be happy clients and for that I am glad, but just because there are good reviews, it is the “jobs” like mine and the caos and financial losses that are left that people are unaware of. AT THE VERY LEAST, CHECK HE HAS INSURANCE AND SEE THE CERTIFICATE. Maybe make a note of the policy number, just be careful.

Be careful everyone.

It is the 7th of September as I write this. I wanted to check to see if Mr Bryant was still advertising on MY BUILDER.COM and his page had disappeared, this intrigued me so I decided to investigate a little and now it seems that he has changed his trading name to AB ROOFING AND HOMECARE. The thing I noticed was that he now claims to have 20 years plus of experience in ROOFING. Here is his new updated profile. A little confusing as it doesn’t quite tie in with his new name but notice now the addition of FASCIAS AND SOFFITS and also the PITCHED ROOFING.

As I said. Be careful everyone.

03.00hrs, Thursday 6th June 2019. With just about 2 and bit hours sleep each it is time to get up and drink as much strong coffee as we can manage before we head in to Ouistreham once more to park up and unload the Jeep. The major roads will be closing at 06.00 and as we don’t know the local area back roads, we cannot be late. On top of that, we have no idea if the car park will be full of other vehicles thinking the same thing…

On the way to Ouistreham we were trying to figure out where to be for the anniversary celebrations. I wanted to see the Veterans on the Beaches but did not know where I would be able to watch it from. I did not know if we would be able to get on to the beaches in the first place, would I be able to with my wheelchair? Would it be a ticket only event due to the significance of the anniversary? I had no idea of where to go, or what to expect due to the added security, this was something I had stupidly overlooked.

We were travelling down the ‘motorway’ and probably due to lack of sleep, I turned off on to the slip road earlier than I should have done. Not a drama, the SatNav altered the route and we cracked on. In just a few miles we were approaching a built up area, we crossed the roundabout and were confronted with a bridge…PEGASUS BRIDGE! This was an unexpected stroke of luck, we crossed the bridge and carried on our journey to the car park. I sincerely hoped that there is space for us or we would be buggered. Our leaving early had paid off, the car park was all but empty save for the trailer and car that had been there for our last visit so we quickly unloaded the Jeep, put up the Union Flag, The Rifles flag and this time the flag of ABF The Soldiers Charity of which I am an ambassador. With me in the Jeep, my wheelchair strapped in and the car and trailer parked in bays, we sat briefly still not knowing where to be for the celebrations.

I looked at my watch, 05.50 Wherever we were going to go we had to move, NOW. So stupid that I had not researched where I should go to spend the anniversary. I was really angry with myself but then that all changed, “Bloomy” and I were originally Light Infantry. In 2007 The Rifles was formed by the amalgamation of the Light Infantry(LI), The Royal Green Jackets (RGJ), The Devon and Dorsets (D&D) and the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire regiment (RGBW). It was the men of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Ox and Bucks) that assaulted and took Pegasus Bridge 75 years ago to the day, where the bloody hell else would we go! So I made the decision, “We are going to Pegasus Bridge,!”

We arrived to see the Police on our left having officially closed the main road. Nothing would be travelling on the ‘motorways’ from now and until such time that the Prime Ministers and such like had finished using them. The exclusion zone was also live and as such, Pegasus Bridge was also out of bounds to traffic who did not have a pass. So the first task was to have a photo, in MY Jeep. ON Pegasus Bridge, ON the 6th of June.

The Pegasus Bridge that was taken in WW2 was dismantled and moved just down the road a little to be preserved at the museum but this is an exact replica. It was just after this photo was taken that we parked up and the lads got me out and in to my chair, then I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, strange. I promised I would get a picture of me with the Jeep and the flag of ABF The Soldiers Charity to send back to them so we did that next and fired up the gas burner for a brew, kind if a celebratory brew as we had accomplished what I had set out to do.

I really can’t say much about the day there. There was so much going on, so many people that we spoke to either in English or muddlethrough or sign language. People were wanting to have their pictures taken while standing next to my Jeep but why would they want to do that? It was a special day, a MONUMENTAL day so if you have taken the time to get to Normandy to pay respects and celebrate the sacrifice of so many brave souls and then have taken the time to come to us and ask if it is OK to have a photo then there is only one place that those people should be for the photograph…together sitting IN the Jeep. They can have pictures sitting as the driver and as passenger and in the back, we can take the pictures. I cannot describe the smiles on peoples faces when we did this for them, for me it was a simple gesture but for them it seemed to really mean something. I was so pleased that we could share the Jeep with those people, and had it not had the problems with the gears then Simon and “Bloomy” both said they would have happily taken people for a drive.

Later in the day as the celebrations continued with Pipe bands and re-enactors dressed in their uniforms walking around the place, we took a trip down the road and crossed Pegasus Bridge. There it was again, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. What is that? There are small monuments which show where three gliders of Major Howard’s men landed to take the bridge. Major Howard’s glider landed 47 yards from the bridge, 47 YARDS. The other two gliders that are marked were just a few yards away from his which was probably the key to the bridge being taken, no real warnings and no distance to cover before the objective. There were six gliders in all. As I read the plaques on the stone marker monuments I looked around and started to think about what it must have been like on the day. If they did not succeed in their mission it would be even more devastating to the landing troops on the beaches. Take this bridge and stop reinforcements getting to the beaches.

We had finished reading the various plaques and returned to the bridge and just as we got there a moment of almost complete silence. Then sustained applause as a Veteran of the Bridge, proudly wearing his LI beret and hard earned medals was pushed in his wheelchair across Pegasus Bridge by his Daughter. Those hairs again stood up but this time it was more, my eyes welled up. “Don’t do it, don’t do it!” I kept saying in my head, I joined the applause and manoeuvred my chair just to catch a glimpse of this man. This elderly Gentleman who would have seen so much violence in his younger days. I could not help but wonder what he must have been feeling. Looking in his eyes I could not see an emotion. Inside what was going through his mind? Was he now numb to it? Did he relive it every day? I wanted so much to roll up to him and ask if I could have the honour of shaking his hand but I couldn’t. Just the thought of what he had seen, again caused me to well up. I changed the thinking to my medals and beret that I had actually taken with me but did not know if it was appropriate to wear. This was not my campaign, my Dad wasn’t even born when these men were fighting, is it disrespectful to wear them? Should I be wearing them as a sign of respect to those Brothers in arms from all those years ago? It didn’t matter now as I had chosen to leave them in the car, but somehow it did matter. For those few minutes of thinking I had seemingly got control of the emotion I had been unsuccessfully fighting but it was not enough for me to approach the elderly Gentleman, something I will doubtless regret for the rest of my life.

We left the bridge and headed to the museum a short distance away. The thought of what the Gentleman I had just seen, had witnessed again went round in my head. When we got to the museum there were some Gentlemen selling postcards and the like from tables on the grass, Simon helped me up on to the grass so I could look and whilst looking at the postcards of the pictures of the beach landings, of troops, of bombed out streets I again welled up. I spent a bloody fortune on those cards, looking through every pile while I got my shit together. I had considered that visiting Normandy would be a little moving but this was hitting me harder than I could have ever anticipated and certainly more than I feel it should.

The museum was amazing. So informative, it told you the story, highlighted the importance of the mission and did a tremendous job of honouring the men who carried out the mission. I had to read every information board, had to see every exhibit, had to spend the time to learn about the Horsa gliders and what they were made of.

Whilst reading the exhibit boards there was a commotion outside, and then a humming, we all rushed outside to see many Dakota aircraft flying overhead, just like they would have been doing all those years ago, now the hairs were really stood to attention.

It was such a full on day. We decided to take the Jeep for a drive, there would be other WW2 vehicles kicking about so lets go and see what people are up to. I have no idea how many miles we travelled, where we went or even where we were going but everywhere we drove we bibbed at and waved at by those on the road. Cars, articulated lorries, other WW2 vehicles it was amazing. The atmosphere was incredible and this was just the anniversary celebrations. Imagine what it would have been like 75 years ago! Holy shit!!!

After a long day we headed back to the car park. There was a lot I wanted to see over the next couple of days so we would need to get some sleep tonight. We hitched up the trailer to the car, took the antennae off and put the Jeep back on the trailer. The gears had been bloody awful today but today was the anniversary of D Day and the Jeep had done all it was asked of for the day, which was just as well because as soon as we got it on the trailer it dumped gearbox oil all over the trailer bed! Simon and “Bloomy” looked at me, “If it had fallen in to a pile of nuts and bolts it wouldn’t matter” I said, “It has done what I bought it for, D Day”.

We got back to the apartment and again we were locked out. “Bloomy” as you can imagine, as was for the rest of us, NOT IMPRESSED. We just wanted a cuppa, a shower and bed. He went to the caretaker again who to be honest was not happy about seeing “Bloomy” and said “How do I know you have paid?” Now I can see his point here but the hotel take your card details when you book so they will get their money. I checked the on line banking app and it was saying that it was pending. If we can get him to let us in then I will see the reception in the morning. The caretaker told “Bloomy” that he was not dressed and had been in bed so what did he want him to do. Needless to say “Bloomy” told him exactly what he needed to do or he was going to sleep in his room. In the time it took to say Merci, the door was open!

It had been an incredible day. Would I have liked to have spent it on the beach with the Veterans? Well, Yes would be the answer but I would have liked to have been at both British beaches, and the cemetery at Bayeaux, and whilst there I would like to be at Pegasus Bridge so I made the choice to be at the Bridge and I was happy to have done so. Tomorrow we would be using the Galaxy and leaving the Jeep on the trailer. We will be able to cover more ground and see more places, the Jeep had earned its rest. 76 Years old it is, and although it will have been rebuilt many times I would imaging since it was retired from service, I think I can forgive it for being tired.