West Bromwich navy veteran still waiting for repairs to broken window he reported in May - despite £146 bill
A grandfather has had a five-month wait for a broken window to be fixed by a social housing landlord which has already billed him for the repair.
Royal Navy veteran Barry Williams, aged 80, said he believed that the damage to the double-glazed window at his rented home in Winchester Road in West Bromwich was caused by an air pistol, as only the external pane shattered.
The retired driver said that after reporting the damage in May he was then billed for the £146 repair by the landlord Riverside Group - though the work has still not yet been carried out.
However, Riverside has apologised for the delay and denied that the father of four was put into rent arrears as a result of its action.
Mr Williams, a widower, said: "I'm not very happy about the length of time it is taking to fix my window. I've been waiting since the beginning of May for what is a minor repair job, but the thing that has really upset me is the fact that Riverside has charged me £146 to replace the glass.
"I've had to pay extra sums plus the rent.
"I don't think I should have even been asked to pay because it was broken through no fault of mine, it's not my property and I'm a pensioner. If I was the owner fair enough, but I'm not.
"I think somebody shot at the window with some sort of air gun because the glass on the outside is broken, but the inside pane is still intact.
"It is ridiculous. I have spoken to the housing officer in West Bromwich and they said someone's coming on Friday to do the repair. Hopefully they'll turn up this time because six times they have promised to come and they haven't arrived."
A spokesperson for Riverside read: “We are sorry to hear Mr Williams has been upset by how a matter affecting his home has been handled. He first contacted us on May 10 to report a damaged window, which he believed had been caused by a bird strike. In line with our standard process, our customer services team advised that a repair recharge would be raised.
“During our initial visit in May we made his home safe by removing the broken glass and boarding up the window. Our income management officer also spoke with Mr Williams on May 21 to discuss the recharge in more detail.
“We acknowledge there have been delays in completing the repair, including difficulties gaining access and an error by our contractor in fitting clear glass with a vinyl sheet instead of the correct obscure glass. However, we’ve ensured the property remained safe throughout.
“The correct glass is scheduled to be fitted this Friday and Mr Williams will not be charged for this follow-up work.
“This is the first time we’ve been made aware of a possible airgun incident. We take such matters seriously and contacted Mr Williams on Wednesday to confirm that if he provides a crime reference number we will cancel the remaining charge and refund any payments made.
“In the meantime we’ve paused any further recharge action pending receipt of this.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and remain committed to resolving this matter fairly and supporting Mr Williams.”
Mr Williams, who grew up in Wednesbury, moved into the property in 2006 with his wife Yvonne, who died aged 77 in 2022. He served in the navy from 1964 to 1969 and served in the Far East, Middle East and Europe.
