Frans Camilleri Woodworks silent

I refer to the case submitted by Anton Pisani about Frans Camilleri of 9 Triq ix-Xitwa, Qormi, which was featured on February 3. I sent Mr Camilleri another letter, asking him for his comments on this case. However, just like he did with the first letter I sent him, he refused it and sent it back to me unopened.

If he wants to adopt such a non-communicative stance, we have no other option but to communicate with him through the column. At least, by doing so, we are warning readers of what to expect from Mr Camilleri as a carpenter. Here are a few excerpts from another letter I received from Joseph M. Borg, another customer/victim of Mr Camilleri:

I read Mr Pisani's letter about a bedroom he ordered from Mr Camilleri, which was never delivered to him. We too ordered a complete kitchen and unfortunately paid a carpenter the full amount of €2,562.31 (Lm1,100) and only got half the cupboards, no shelving, no drawers bottom, etc., etc. Guess who it was?

It was Mr Camilleri Woodworks - the so-called carpenter.

We ordered a complete kitchen from Mr Camilleri on October 12, 2005. It was meant to be delivered in January 2006. We paid a deposit of €815.28 (Lm350). He later suggested that we pay him in full in advance and he would give us the kitchen in December 2005. In a way we were pleased that the kitchen would be delivered in December, just in time for Christmas, so we agreed to pay him in full.

On the invoice, Mr Camilleri wrote that if the whole kitchen is not delivered on time, he would refund us the sum in full (invoice copy attached). As time went by, we called his workshop, and when he was open, he would be found working on other furniture, but not on our kitchen.

On one occasion we called at his workshop and found him working on a huge kitchen. We had our doubts as to whether that kitchen belonged to us, because it seemed too big. We were right. He was working on somebody else's kitchen. Subsequently, we filed a report at the Office for Fair Trading in Cannon Road, St Venera.

I paid him several visits with different witnesses and, every time, he postponed the delivery to April 30, 2006. This statement was signed and rubber stamped at the Qormi police station.

On April 30, 2006, I paid him a last visit and when I found out that, yet again, he did not honour the delivery date, I told him I was going to our solicitor, who wrote to him three times. Mr Camilleri ignored the three letters.

As it happened, my wife was admitted to hospital with a heart condition. While in hospital he came round and brought a few cabinets with no doors, no shelving, no bottom drawers etc. Initially I did not want to accept it, because it was not a complete kitchen.

But he promised me he would deliver the rest in time before my wife's discharge. I thought my wife would be pleased to see the kitchen fitted. However, I was wrong. I went back to Mr Camilleri and gave him some more time but to no avail.

(At this stage Mr Borg referred the case to the Consumer Claims Tribunal.)

On September 5, 2006, we went to the meeting at the CCT. The arbiter was present, but Mr Camilleri did not turn up for the hearing. So we set up another meeting for October 31, 2006, which Mr Camilleri did not attend. In his absence, the CCT arbiter proceeded and decided in our favour.

Through our lawyers we referred our case to the courts which ordered the auction of Mr Camilleri's machinery. The auction had to take place on May 9, 2007. However, Mr Camilleri never opened his workshop to the court marshals.

The case does not end here. Indeed, we re-applied through our lawyers for a second auction, this time with an authority for the courts to force open the workshop in the presence of police officers. According to our solicitors, the next court auction is in April.

So far, we have incurred an additional €1,164.69 (Lm500), which we will be asking for from Mr Camilleri, as stated in the CCT sitting.

Mr Camilleri has deceived us, Mr Pisani and many other people. He should be dealt with by the police. (Joseph M. Borg)

At this stage, I appeal to Mr Camilleri to show some decency. In the absence of any co-operation, I will keep asking Mr Camilleri for his co-operation.

Moreover, I must refer once again to Mr Pisani's case, which dates to last March. Mr Pisani had ordered a bedroom suite. This is another case where Mr Camilleri is not communicating. I therefore ask Mr Pisani to keep me informed.