Daniel Park, 26, from Crewkerne in Somerset was this week given a four-month jail sentence which has been suspended for two years. Earlier this year he was convicted of installing solid fuel and wood-burning stoves by falsely claiming he was registered and legally allowed to do so. The court heard a number of harrowing stories from his customers.
Pleaded guilty to 15 charges
The defendant pleaded guilty to 15 charges of breaching consumer protection regulations which included using fake certificates to back up his claims. It would appear that much of his work came via his Facebook page and while perfectly understandable that customers took his claims at face value, there are ways and means to check whether someone is registered to install stoves.
Simply click on the following link:-
You can check for HETAS qualified installers in your area and see exactly what type of equipment they are qualified to install.
Harrowing tales
Many will be surprised to learn that the defendant was given a four-month jail sentence which has been suspended for two years. Evidence in the court room seemed to show complete incompetence and potential danger to life which included:-
- One customer lighting her stove only for the room to be filled with smoke and the carbon monoxide alarm activated. The property had to be vacated for a number of days while remedial work was carried out
Financial Redress
While there was no mention of financial redress, we also know that many customers were left out of pocket. They were forced to pay for repairs and damage to the property which would have significantly increased their expenditure.
It is unclear for how long Daniel Park had been advertising his installation service and indeed whether he had any experience at all. The fact that he admitted he had “found himself in a position where he didn’t know what he was doing” which involved potentially dangerous gases is staggering.
We only work with the best installers
Here at Bowland Stoves we only work with HETAS qualified and competent installers who have an impeccable track record. We fully appreciate the cost of acquiring the stove, the parts for the installation and the cost of employing an installer. If you acquire a stove from us or require assistance with spare parts we can put you in touch with one of the installation parties we use in the area.
While justice does eventually seem to have been done on this occasion, whether a four-month suspended sentence reflects the dangerous situations in which Mr Park placed his customers is debatable. It is vital that you don’t cut corners when installing and repairing stoves, ensure that everything is signed off by the relevant parties and if you have any issues contact your local stove company or HETAS.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, while many of us are trusting of tradespeople this can on occasion backfire as it did for Daniel Park’s customers. The use of fake certificates suggests a premeditated action which could have potentially put his customers in a life-threatening situation. Did the courts get it right? Whatever the situation, this publicity should be a warning shot across the bows of those looking to install a wood-burning stove.
If you have any questions or queries on this matter please feel free to contact us.