Well, it had to end, one hundred and seventeen days without rain was brought to a close with one almighty crash as a tremendous storm hit Coin at 3AM last Wednesday morning bringing with it the first precipitation in nearly four months.
How ironic that a friend of ours in England announced that over that same period, there had been only around one week where rain had not fallen somewhere in the British Isles, a stark contrast when you think we're only a thousand miles apart.
As well as the multitude of apartments and complexes that have sprung up expanding the areas off the coast, there are the habitats that have appeared up in the most unlikely of places both on the coast and inland for those who have been able to afford the luxury of a stand alone mansion. Marbella and other parts of the Costa are well renowned for the golden mile and down town marina areas where properties range from the cheaper half million duplexes to the ten mill' plus palatial dwellings. Indeed, driving along some of these movie and football star avenues tends to buck against the trend of the so called credit crunch everyone else appears to be suffering with the opulence of no expense spared properties.
There are a number that have sought privacy by buying up whole mountains to erect a home far from prying eyes and the general public while others choose to set up home on the edge of a golf course with the putting green of a particular hole part of their back yard.
There's no doubt that my limited experience in viewing some of these properties has shown that no matter how much money you have, you can always find something to spend it on to impress your friends when they come and visit, like having a hot tub and bar in every bedroom with a 50" TV in every room of the house including the bathroom.
And then there's the outdoor terrace where you'll be spending most of your time anyway with a pool complete with waterfall and swim around bar, oh, and a barbecue area fitted out better than a posh hotel kitchen.
A garage big enough for a dozen luxury motors and a helicopter pad just about raps it up and now you have the perfect retreat where you don't have to mix with the rabble or the nosy public. There are a thousand of these types of property in and around just where we live, and thousands more round every other town, just goes to show, there is still cash out there somewhere!
Having eventually got the motor sorted out, we still had to decide on what was needed most next, and after struggling along with the barest of cooking equipment and utensils, it was becoming more obvious that the next big job should be renovating the kitchen. This would possibly, in the long run, be the most expensive outlay we would experience for some time with regard to home improvements, so after a number of discussions of the pros and cons, Rose and I decided to explore our options by heading out to look for a kitchen supplier and fitter.
This, as we found out to our cost, was going to be easier said than done. This, more than anything else, taught us a lesson very early on about unreliable, cowboy traders. We had no idea about how to go about choosing a company so did the one thing most immigrants do and chose a so called prominent British company from out of one of the English speaking paper adds. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, especially when you find out too late that you've made a big mistake in your choice and you're locked into a contract that as time goes on will only bring you grief. But that's the way you learn don't they say?
Anyway, we plumped for a company with a big ad, a number of showrooms, lots of choice and English run making it what we believed at the time to be an easy option choice. We sat with a lady who planned it all out for us, listed everything we needed, worked out the timing, and told us the cost which, to our surprise, came well within our budget and time scale.
So far so good. We left to discuss our options with the saleswoman's voice ringing in our ears, Don't leave it too long to decide, I don't know how long I can keep that deal open'. I'd heard it all before but with very few other options, mainly due to our ignorance of the local area and language, we contacted the office, agreeing on a fitting time and going ahead with the purchase, and that's where the trouble started.
I cant begin to explain all the ins and outs of what went wrong except to say after the point where we had handed the money over, a simple kitchen fit turned into a long drawn out tense and stressful time which had my blood boiling and my wife in tears more than once. We had had four kitchens fitted in the last twenty years in various other homes, all without fuss and all beautifully done, so naively we expected everything to be the same again.
We were lied to, put off and stood off while living in a mess some ten weeks over the three week time scale we were originally informed it would take. Poor build quality, poor workmanship and no customer care meant that by the time we had a functioning kitchen, winter was well upon us and we had been living in a mess for three months made worse by the fact that the main living area was of a combined kitchen, dining and living room, we actually ended up eating and living in the bedroom for a number of weeks, nightmare!
I complained a number of times with phone calls, visits and e' mails. The so called MD was never available to meet with me face to face, (possibly not a good thing for him with the mood I was in!) and all his staff could ever say was sorry' or simply lie about what was happening.
I had held back about 10% of the final monies which was to be paid directly to the fitter on completion after a discussion with the firms so called surveyor who, to be fair to him, came out a number of times, agreeing that all was not going according to plan, profusely apologising on behalf of the company.
The final straw came after so many calls about the poor standard and workmanship of the kitchen, whereby we received an e' mail from the Director which in no uncertain terms stated that we would have to pay the last of the money to his fitter or be in default of the contract. I answered by stating I would rather go to court than pay another penny.
I was so angry harbouring negative thoughts of a less than understanding nature, but it was not as incredulous as his following statement which went along the lines of I couldn't care less what you do or think about my company, there are plenty of people out there who will use us!'
The problem was, he was right! There would be others like me who would fall into the trap of ignorance believing using him and his company would be easier and more convenient than shopping round. All I could do was spread the word about his poor work and service and hope others would not be taken in like us.
Afterwards as is always the case, we came across a number of people who had used this company with very few actually happy with the results, but like us, we had been unable to pursue a court case as money, time and translation costs was always on the side of the company, this is something our friend knew well.
But everything comes to those that wait. Recently, we were informed by a former employee that this particular company had had to close a number of it's outlets and lay off a number of staff, all due to a drastic drop in sales. Funny, it's very unlikely of me to harbour such thoughts, but I would like to think that voicing our experience to other prospective customers had in some way contributed to his drop in sales, though I would never be happy that someone had lost their job because of it.
Needless to say, the name of this man and company, which is one of the same, are on my blacklist of who not to use', just one of a number I've stated in the past that take advantage of newbie's'! though now I do have a number of very good and well respected kitchen and bathroom fitters at my disposal should clients or myself need them.
Our decision to use Tim Hart-Woods kitchens and bathrooms' turned out to be a painful lesson in why you shouldn't pick the first one out of the paper or research trading history. I can only voice my opinions of this company through my own woeful experience backed up by a narrative which I kept all the way from start to finish of the work.
It left a very bad taste in the mouth and did nothing to endear me or other people to the number of truly conscientious ex-Pat workers who, like myself, are having to battle against the legacy of the cowboys in order to gain the trust and work ethic new customers expect.
But as I've stated, it's happened once, it'll happen again. We can only spread the word, after all, you don't need this kind of hassle after such an important move and you don't expect it. The whole episode dented our confidence early on leading to doubt as to whether or not this was a one off or would be the norm. It certainly confirmed one thing, that when you're feeling your way and unsure, there's always someone who will take advantage of your position to the detriment.
In the last twelve months since completion, we have had no communication with the company THW save what we have heard from friends and colleagues, however, we have had to have a number of faults and problems with the kitchen rectified by other contractors who were only too glad to help out. One of the men involved in the fitting in particular has become a good friend after setting up successfully for himself so something good did come out of the adversity!
The link company who assembled the solid marble worktops (Spanish) and the contractor who laid the stone floor (English) did a lovely job with no complaints. Any hold up on their part can only be attributed to the delays caused by THW. Ah well, we live and learn!
Useful tip
If you are truly stuck or confused about what or who to buy from, then experience living here has taught me to bite the bullet and gain professional advice or help. This could be by either employing someone like me who can recommend or know someone reliable, (remember, I know and use good Spanish and immigrant traders) or just as equally helpful is to find someone who speaks the language fluently who could perhaps barter or bargain for you!
There's no shame in standing there looking confused while someone arbitrates a good deal on your behalf. The benefit of a trusted and well established local Spanish or English business, who have probably been trading for years with good testament, may give you a better deal than those in a big city, town or glossy advert. For the sake of a few euro's for their time, you may save yourself the hassle we and others have experienced and thus we impart this labour and possibly money saving advice.
Useful hint
... Oh, and when you're in England next, can you bring me some Marmite, proper butter, tea bags, coffee, real bacon, sausages, toilet rolls, chocolate, etc, etc ... Don't bother!
Apart from the number of British grocery shops that have sprung up the satisfy the immigrants lust for homeland products, a lot more of these goods are now being stocked and sold by local Spanish shops and supermarkets. Even our local butcher has started selling middle back bacon and British bangers. You can get everything from Kellogg's cornflakes and Rice crispies to Kingsmill bread and Heinz baked beans, and for a lot cheaper than the excess baggage fee to load up a suitcase! And what with the new Iceland' that's just opened on the coast, there's nothing you can't get should you hanker after something familiar.
(I myself am totally loyal to the Spanish market produce and food industry, but even I succumb to a good cuppa' PG Tips!)
Spanish facts
A little about my town:
There are about 20,000 registered residents in Coin and although still a relatively small village in size, it is actually officially one of the smallest Cities in Spain after King Alfonso XIII awarded it the title of City' in 1925.
Captain Cook visited Coin in 1829. (Came in on XL, went out on Easyjet!)
The TV Soap series El Dorado' was filmed in and around Coin. The studios are still here after being turned into a hotel in 2006. (Sort of an English version of Corrie', but with a suntan!)
Useful phrase
Some numbers carrying on a familiar theme:
Treinta, thirty (trayntah). cuarenta, forty (kwarayntah). cincuenta, fifty (thinkwayntah). sesenta, sixty (saysayntah). setenta, seventy (saytayntah). ochenta, eighty (ohchayntah). noventa, ninety (nohbayntah).
Uno cien, one hundred (oonoh theeayn). doscientos, two hundred (dohtheeayntohs). mil, thousand (meel). un millón, million (oon meeyohn).
El centímetro, centimeter (ayl thenteemaytroh). El metro, meter (ayl maytroh). Kilómetro, kilometer (keelohmaytroh).
Next week
Villa could do with a coat of paint!'
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