According to Royal Court documents, the claim concerns 550 panes of glass that were supplied by Spectra for use in double-glazed windows and doors manufactured by Heritage Joinery.
Heritage production director Ian Benest is accused of ‘fraud’ and ‘dishonesty’ for refusing payment, and is quoted in the court documents as having said ‘I don’t have the money’, when the invoices for the glazing work were presented to him. Spectra also alleges that Mr Benest later went on to find fault with the standard of the glazing work in order to find a pretext for not paying the bill.
The claims have been strongly denied by Mr Benest, who said that there had been ‘an utter failing’ to give any details of these serious allegations. He says that he consistently informed the managing director of Spectra, Tom Slone, whenever his company’s work had been substandard and did not meet the terms of their agreement. Among the faults that Mr Benest claims to have highlighted were leaking windows, black and mouldy putty, and misting on the double-glazed panes due poor sealing.
A further area of contention involves a dispute over the guarantee for the panes supplied by Spectra, which Mr Benest says was provided as an oral assurance that the glazing work would be guaranteed for a period of five years after installation.
The claim refers to work that was begun in 2008. The case continues.
