A COUNCIL TENANT'S HONEST REVIEWA year or so ago, the Council notified me that my kitchen was due for renovation. About a month before the work started, two ladies from United Infrastructure came to discuss design choices for the new kitchen. Following that, letters kept arriving 'preparing' me for the new kitchen's start day. Letters arrived from the highly praised PiLON, announcing the actual start day. On paper, PiLON praised themselves and stated they would look after their customers throughout the process. The letter stated the appointed PiLON RLO (Dedicated Resident Liaison Officer) would be in consistent contact and provide support "before, during, and after" the whole process.The awkwardness of what was to follow started on a pre-start visit from a PiLON rep. A higher management rep arrived on the day to supposedly explain the work to me (according to the letter) and to address any questions I may have. The PiLON rep didn't explain or ask anything. He just walked straight to the kitchen and stood observing the kitchen and taking photos. He then quickly mumbled "they're starting the work tomorrow" and left without saying anything else. Being put off by the rep's somewhat curt behavior, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I kept an open mind anyway.The next day, the actual work started. Schedules were sent by text. PiLON workers - I found them to be very polite and humble. Unlike some reviews mentioned here, workers speaking no English wasn't bothersome to me. They do talk loud in their own language but that's understandable as some cultures do talk loud. The first day of work involved demolishing the old kitchen. Workers did their job with a polite manner. Especially Daniel, the handyman, did the job with a polite, respectful manner. I was moved by how humble Daniel, the handyman, was. He did his job with passion and was respectful of me and my place.The appointed RLO, who was highly praised in the PILON letter, 'would 'support me throughout' - only made two rare appearances since the job started. The first day of her visit, she asked several irrelevant questions; only when I mentioned a small issue relating to the window her response was cold and dismissive. I had to email my concern to the senior manager got only one phone call in response to my email. The rest of my emails were ignored with no acknowledgment.The rest the job was completed with no appointed RLO checking the progress. The issue with the design is they moved one cupboard extremely close to the fan, which would make it hard to clean the fan. Also, the new cupboard design from PiLON mixes pot space and water pipes together, which I found to be an issue. And the floor material used is rough, and the tiling by the tap is made with less grout, which is prone to causing mould to form. Since there was no RLO to report these issues to, I had no choice but to accept the new design with its flaws.The final 'handover day', I received a text saying a rep from the Council and a rep from PiLON would come to do the final handover. The rep from PiLON is the same man that came to supposedly 'explain' about the work when the start of the work ( and explained nothing). Both men kept on discussing something inside the newly done kitchen. Although I'm the one who lives here and my opinions also matter, they didn't seem to want to include me in their discussion or acknowledge my existence. The PILON man then asked if I was "happy" with the whole kitchen work. It was more like a statement rather than a question. He didn't seem interested to hear my feedback or if I had any issues at all. He just mumbled "happy?" That's it. I wanted to mention my concern about the cupboard being too close to the fan, and the tiling by the tap needs more grout, but I didn't think it would make any difference. To sum it up... I agree with other reviews here. My experience with PILON management was off-putting, cold, and somehow bluff. The reason could be we're a council tenant – the treatment would've been different if we were a homeowner. The workers, on the other hand, are humble and hardworking. Especially Daniel, the handyman, Iuliah, and others; they did the job with humility and respect. I'm leaving the three stars solely for PiLON's humble handymen. The management, on the other hand, needs to really consider treating every customer with the same dignified manner, irrespective of whether one is a council tenant or not. Thank You.
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PiLON is a main contractor to the social housing sector with a technological edge. Our success is testament to our focus on the best possible practices at all levels of our work. We’ve refurbished more than 60,000 properties with more than 100,00...
