Lord all-effing Mitie!

I just got a council response to my stage 2 complaint about Mitie, in which I learned that my post – I'd had a letter removed from my living room and dumped on the balcony - had been moved from the floor to the top of a meter cupboard. The odd thing about this is that I don't have a meter cupboard. Does anybody living on the south side of the railway line have a meter cupboard?


When, in stage one I complained that my fridge freezer installed in my living room and wired up, along with my phone base unit had been unplugged while I was out because the worker had needed power, Mitie claimed via Mike Gabell, LH Project Manager responsible for dealing with the complaint: ''Mitie have refuted your assertion that one of their operatives used your extension lead. The operatives generally use battery powered tools, and as such, do not require leads.''


Now, how true does this ring to anyone who's had the work done? How did the guys get their heavy duty power tools to get the plaster off the walls in the kitchen? What powered the tools drilling through hard core? How did the plasterers mix their plaster - by hand or a mains powered mixer? Yes, extensive use of the tenant's mains, I know. They even left their transformers in my flat overnight on more than one occasion.


(I wasn't even complaining about using my electricity – I'm actually quite pragmatic about these things - I was complaining about someone unplugging my appliances in another room for their convenience and setting my freezer on defrost and unplugging my phone base  without  permission.)


Now, Mike Gabell is the project coordinator for the works and I'm sure his job would be a lot easier if the job went smoothly. But this is not a reason to pass obviously untrue comments and, in any case a competent, honest manager, would clearly know that he was passing on untruths.


But once he's passed on the lie, uncritically, his job is done. That's the end of that stage of the complaint. Likewise the Stage 2 complaint. When I replied to Diane Kerry, Construction Delivery Team Leader about the obvious lie about my fictitious meter cupboard, her reply was – yes, you've guessed it – ''My job is done.''


Whilst I understand your concerns, I regret that I am unable to respond further. If you wish to follow up this complaint further, please contact our Customer Relations Team on 0208 613 7680 or by e mail 9 as shown above )  who will be pleased to assist you.


Except, of course, that as soon as they've completed their hand washing, the customer relations team are unable to help. The only available option, beyond Councillors, MPs, press and publicity, is the independent adjudicator.


So, as I gather myself up for my 3^rd attempt to get an honest, impartial judgement, I'm left with a saddening observation. Lewisham Homes simply rubber stamp Mitie's words, even when they're clearly untrue. This leaves tenants with no protection whatsoever from Mitie. 


Remember, tenants, they're unanswerable. Be careful. Be Mitie careful. 

p.s. Because my boiler and thermostat has been wired up in a way that electricity doesn't understand - it's only been about  3 floods, and 6 visits so I'll need to give it time - I have to let them in again because the Lewisham Homes contractor couldn't figure out  how it had been wired either and had to ''hot-wire''  the boiler to bypass the  thermostat and timer. 

UPDATES: the bad room tax and High and Mitie.

Bedroom Tax: follow up to this post

As Lewisham/Lewisham Homes lost my forms for ''underoccupation'' back at the very beginning of May, it has taken until today for me get my application processed.  But, because the council have evidence of me ''being on the transfer list for a suitably sized property'' they have awarded a Discretionary Housing Payment.  It's not a full rebate on the unrebated amount but it gets me closer to survival, and staves off eviction.

The fact that back in 1984 the flat was not considered unsuitably sized, and the fact that I have to be actively searching for a smaller property that, more likely than not, will cost more in public subsidy than the present one is costing, that there are publicly funded grants for removal payments, redirection of mail, payments for removing and reinstalling cookers and washing machines, phone connection, an assistance payment of £300 for the extra room I'm giving up - in short, that all this extra public expense to move someone against their will to a more expensive smaller property - does not seem to have occurred to any of those with a responsibility to keep down public expenses. 

Following the transfer list path won't solve everybody's problem but it may be worth it for some.

Housing policy: you know it makes no sense.

Mitie Major Works: follow up to this post (further posts about Mitie, here, here and here)

After the end-of-my-tether post about Mitie, Crosswhatfields received an email from Lewisham Homes' Corporate Communication Manager asking:

Please could you contact me to clarify the issues so that I can ensure this is dealt with properly?

So I did and wrote a partial list of of the surreal chain of events that had happened to me.  And got absolutely nowhere.  I even learn that I have not made a complaint.  Mitie apparently agreed to deliver a report to her about the issues:

Mitie are delivering us a full report on all the issues you've detailed.

 ...but there again, the Tenant Liaison Officer and Site Manager agreed to produce a written explanation of why my door was left open and mail removed from the property to me, and I've heard from neither.  In the end, I got a highly unsatisfactory

You have had an unfortunate run of luck it has to be said.

Followed by

I'll give you a call on Monday to see how things are if that's ok?

As that call never materialised I assume she considers it job done.

The moral of this is that, if you experience problems with Mitie, they won't consider it a complaint unless you go through the ''official'' complaints procedure, which is

1 contact resident liaison officer who will endeavour to resolve the issue

2 if still unhappy contact the Lewisham Homes' Project Coordinator (0800 028 2 028) and ask for major works (or email majorworks@lewishamhomes.org.uk)

3 Still unhappy, step 3 is the Customer Relations team (0800 028 2 028) and ask for customer relations (or email complaints@lewishamhomes.org.uk)

Whatever you do beware of people offering to get things ''dealt with properly'' or dealing with Mitie's Property Services people.  Their interest is not the tenants, job done for them is circumventing the complaints procedure and managing reputation.

At least go through the ''proper'' complaints channels or email the blog and we'll try to help.