Deposit after complaint?

Questioner

On January 15th I made a down payment of €2,698.30 to 'company x' for the renovation of my tiled roof. The job is scheduled for Tuesday, June 20th. I tried to contact the company but I can't. Not by phone, email or website. In the meantime I see on the 'complaints site' that I am the fourth (or 5th) 'customer' who has made a down payment and then hasn't heard anything and can't get in touch. So I'm afraid I've been scammed. What is the best thing for me to do now?

Lawyer

Good morning, In principle, the job still needs to be done. It is still difficult to take legal action now, because the job has not yet been done. The contractor needs to be given the opportunity to comply and that is only on or after 20 June (the agreed date). It is best to keep all e-mails and messages and e-mail/call a few more times to ask them to confirm that they will start work on the 20th. If they have not started by then, you can start a procedure (on the grounds of non-compliance) to reclaim the amount of money. Any additional costs are also eligible for compensation. Feel free to contact us without obligation to discuss your case. Kind regards, Mr. Mr. S. Leito FerLei Legal 06-49175526

Questioner

Thanks for this response. I will try to contact a few more shacks and if indeed no work is done on the planned date, I will contact you for a follow-up. I fear that the chance that the work will be done is getting smaller and smaller; in the meantime, their website has been changed to a blank page with the text below: ___________________________ Dear customers, Unfortunately, due to the current circumstances, we are unable to offer our services at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to resolve this situation soon. ___________________________ Yours sincerely, M@rcel