DO NOT HIRE — Large upfront deposit, minimal delivery, “tools down” abandonment, and documented history‑rewriting

WARNING: Do not engage this contractor. Our experience follows a clear and documented pattern: fast promises before payment, then delays, excuses, attempts to rewrite terms, and escalation when questioned.

PROJECT SCOPE: We hired Jena & Sons Construction Group for a full unit renovation including: - Kitchen - Two bathrooms - Tiling - Electrical / lighting - Painting (prep + primer + final coat) - Wardrobes - Blinds - Logistics / rubble removal

TIMELINE (FACTS FROM OUR RECORDS): - We paid the requested 75% deposit upfront, then paid the painting package in full shortly after. - After ~4 weeks, only a small fraction of the promised work was delivered: partial demolition, partial wall prep/skimming, and incomplete bathroom plumbing (e.g., early-stage plumbing setup). Most major scope items were still not started: no tiling, no kitchen installation, no lighting/electrical, no blinds, no primer/final painting, no look-and-feel finishing, and no wardrobes.

THE PATTERN WE EXPERIENCED (WEEK BY WEEK):

Week 1: - Late arrivals and minimal progress. - Extremely responsive before payment; after payment the pace dropped sharply.

Week 2: - Repeated late/no-show attendance, despite agreed morning starts. - Our written messages include: “the guys are not here yet”, “nobody is here for work yet”, and “no one’s here, nothing progressing?” - The on-site manager admitted in writing that the scheduled week should not be on the timeline because he was “committed somewhere” — meaning they were busy on other jobs during our scheduled renovation period.

Week 3: - Missed inspections / lack of proper supervision. - When we questioned the pace and missing deliverables, the conversation shifted from planning to “variations” talk and attempts to revise fixed quotes (without signed scope changes from our side).

Week 4: - When asked about moving to the next phase, the contractor responded with “money” as the reason he couldn’t proceed properly, despite having already received the bulk of the agreed payments. - When we requested a written recovery plan with dates and milestones, we did not receive a credible plan.

THE ABANDONMENT: When we confronted the delays and broken promises, Jay ordered “tools down” and left the project communication channel, effectively abandoning the project while the unit was still in an incomplete, disrupted state.

BILLING / INTEGRITY RED FLAG: Rubble removal/logistics was explicitly included in the written quote, yet we still had to pay separately to get rubble cleared. This is not a “misunderstanding” — it is a clear sign of billing integrity problems.

DOCUMENTED LIES / HISTORY‑REWRITING (ALL IN WRITING): These are examples of claims we encountered that were contradicted by our preserved records: 1) Attendance claims contradicted by our messages showing repeated late/no‑shows. 2) Claims we refused to pay “according to the payment plan” — we paid the deposit and paid the painting package in full; we withheld later milestone payments because the milestone work was not delivered. 3) Claims we “stole” workers/subcontractors — false; we did not employ any of their workers privately. 4) Claims that key items were “fully delivered” — in reality, some items were delivered partially or not installed, and multiple core scope items were not started. 5) Claims the kitchen was ready but we refused delivery — the project was abandoned before any proper kitchen delivery/installation could be completed or handed over.

RED FLAGS — RUN IF YOU SEE THESE: - Demands a very large upfront deposit. - Over-promises speed before payment, then slows down and makes excuses after. - Late/no-show attendance and missed supervision/inspections. - Tries to revise fixed quotes using “variations” without signed scope changes. - Uses “allow us to work our own way” to avoid accountability. - Gaslights you about written terms. - When questioned, escalates to ************/arbitration talk and/or “tools down” abandonment.

OUTCOME / WHY I’M POSTING THIS: We preserved complete WhatsApp records, signed quotes, and proof of payments. This review is posted to warn other homeowners: protect yourself, do strict milestones, and do not fall into the same trap.

-- Contractor: Jena & Sons Construction Group (Pty) Ltd NHBRC: ***