The contract between the company and me, of which I signed states:

The Purchaser shall not be entitled to withhold payment on account of any alleged defects. The company agrees to investigate any alleged defects after payment in full of the balance. A surcharge of 2.5% per month will be payable on outstanding balances.

I paid the deposit of £131 cash in May but they did not put my door in until October, this was after numerous calls to them.

The door is black powder coated aluminium.

Problem One: Poorly applied caulking, which is difficult to correct because the hinges on the door narrow the gap between the wall and hinge and so no caulking has been applied and will be impossible to apply. The caulking should have been applied before hanging the door. In other places there is no caulking. Where there is caulking, it is a wavy mess.

Problem Two: Apparently, the cleaner they used dulled the surface leaving the door looking patchy and dull.

I went to the factory.

For Problem One: They gave me some white rubber trim to hide the caulking. They did not have any black aluminium trim and they said they could not remove the door so that I might reapply the caulking. I have not attached the white rubber trim because it looks tacky. I have researched and can buy some metal trim, which will cost me about £50 to buy.

For Problem Two: I was given some silicone spray and the door appears okay but I find it easily smears. And I am not sure yet if this has cured the problem or if I have to apply the silicone on a regular basis.

I said I would pay them because I felt it was the best they could do. But when I got home, I noticed the insulation trim which is screwed to the frame has defective powder coat. The finish has fine lumps over it and the top layer of coat has started to peel. Also, the bottom trim which has been cut on site now shows aluminium along that cut, they could have attempted to paint it. Also, they did not paint the cut edge of the wood doorstep. Now that it is inserted into the brickwork, it will be difficult to paint, but is do-able.

I was hoping they would remove the old door frame intact so that I might use door and frame for my garage. This was not agreed before hand and so frame was destroyed. The door was removed from my property. I asked them to return it. They said they always remove rubbish. I pointed out that a handmade door with solid brass hinges and hand forged handle was not rubbish. They refused to return the door but they did remove all door furniture, which I collected from them.

I still have not paid them and last Monday, I rang them to tell them about the defective insulation strip and asked them to replace it, but they have gone quiet on me.

My question is, shall I pay them the £1,000 and hope they at least replace the insulation strip after the payment is cleared.

I should have read the small print - darn it.

Guidance will be appreciated - but I fear it is pay up and shut up.

Thanks.

The main problem is the defective paint of the door.

An external door shouldn't need silicone spray maintenance and the coating shouldn't peel off.

The problem with the caulking behind the hinges is common and can be solved with a fine tip applicator.

I have one that screws on standard caulk/silicone tubes and I think I bought it from eBay some years ago.

Your old door is now gone unfortunately.

Most likely they cut it in half for easy transport, I do that all the time.

Shame really because solid wood doors are really nice.

Because the door is defective I would withhold payment and write to them rejecting it.

There is no way they can fix the paintwork on site.

Door needs to be removed and re-sprayed.

Please will you name the company that you are dealing with. Apart from anything else, my view is that the demand in their terms and conditions for full payment despite defects is an unfair term and is unenforceable.

As I understand it, you have paid £131 and there is about £1000 outstanding. This is correct?

If this is correct, then you have more than enough money in your pocket to get any repairs done by somebody else if necessary. I would not pay them any more money until the whole matter is sorted out.

I would write to the company and tell them that you are not satisfied with the work and list out in detail – in bullet pointed version, what are all the defects that need sorting out. Tell the company that if they will not address these defects and bring the door up to a proper standard within 14 days, that you will obtain quotes from elsewhere for the work. Tell the company if you are obliged to give the work to some external repairer, that you will deduct the cost of repairs from the money that you are withholding and only then will you pay the door company the balance which remains after the repairer has been paid.

One thing I caution you, however is that if the door installer agrees to come along and carry out repairs, you need to be very careful that they don't, for instance, remove the door and take it away as part of their "enforcement" action.

I don't know how you would prevent this. I'm afraid that any company that includes the full payment requirement despite defects clause in their contract makes me very worried about doing business with them. If I saw this clause in any contract I would probably avoid that company.

The company is Trade Windows Wooburn Green.

I gave them £131 deposit. I owe them £1000.

The main problem is the defective paint of the door.

An external door shouldn't need silicone spray maintenance and the coating shouldn't peel off.

The problem with the caulking behind the hinges is common and can be solved with a fine tip applicator.

I have one that screws on standard caulk/silicone tubes and I think I bought it from eBay some years ago.

Your old door is now gone unfortunately.

Most likely they cut it in half for easy transport, I do that all the time.

Shame really because solid wood doors are really nice.

Because the door is defective I would withhold payment and write to them rejecting it.

There is no way they can fix the paintwork on site.

Door needs to be removed and re-sprayed.

My confusion is, I am not sure if the door is defective. The door looked patchy. Some very shiny black and some duller and lighter. I was given a silicone spray to buff it up and it now looks fine. But will I have to keep buffing it? Never mind, I will let that one go.

Caulking. The whole thing is a wavy, thick, thin, and in some places non-existent, mess. Caulking surely has to be applied in one straight line and then a finger run down its entire length. This can only be done before door is put up. Company's excuse was, they are not decorators. Never mind, I will let that one go and repair it myself with thin black metal trim. (I was offered white plastic trim!!! Not suitable. They also said, I would have to do it.

Main concern: Insulation trim inside frame. Coating is rough, and peeling, especially around the screw holes. Around one screw hole the paint is blistered. This I cannot fix. It seems the insulation trim can be unscrewed easily on 3 sides but on the 4th side the lock mechanism covers the trim. The door fits snuggly. Will removing the mechanism to get at the trim, upset the snug fit? I cannot deny that the door opens and closes smoothly and cuts out the draught. If the insulation trim looks like this now what will it be like a few months down the line?

It saddens me that through lack of attention to detail the whole effect is spoiled.

I am prepared to overlook every other thing, of which there are many, if they sort out the insulation trim but if they say this cannot be done for fear of disturbing the mechanism, where does this leave me? Or they may just refuse to do it. They also said they have never had any complaints before. Surely I am not the first to be disappointed.

Thank you so much for your interest.

What do you mean by insulation trim?

Can you post a picture please so we understand?

Maybe I have the term wrong. But it is a strip that is screwed onto the inside of the frame.

Three more pictures of defective strip which is screwed to the inside of the frame.

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Definitely detective paint .

Changing that trim would take minutes.

Unless there's something else attached to it I can't see how it would affect the closing mechanism.

Attached are photos showing locking mechanism covering the defective strip.

A more settled turn of events.

I spoke to the company this morning. They said, they will visit in the week. They said the strip is polyamide. It seems that is how the finish always is. It seems there is nothing they can do about it, but it is under guarantee if the finish peels off to show the metal.

The strip cannot be seen when the door is shut and so I think I will have to accept as is.

Maybe, I expected too much. I now realise that a door installer purely installs doors and finishing is not part of what they do.

The installer told me had been at the job for 27 years, must say he is slow learner when it comes to caulking.

The door itself, now that I have sprayed it with silicone, looks and works well.