Quartz Worktops - Poor Manufacture / Workmanship

[w4ter_Boy]

Hi and thanks in advance for any time spent reading this

 

I have recently had some Quartz worktops installed, well actually they were part installed as some issues were noticed during the install and said items take back to be corrected / reworked.

 

Within hours of the "part install" I noticed a few other quality / manufacturing faults and reported them. To my relief, they come back the following day to remove the defective worktop and again said that they will correct / rework.

 

Unfortunately over the next few days I started to notice some more significant faults, parts not to the correct dimensions & some damage that they tried to hide with a poor quality repair. 

 

 

I contacted them, advised them of the additional issues and also explained my disappointment in the poor quality product / craftsmanship. 

 

 

They took several days to reply and with no apology explained that the MD will have to look into the issues.

 

It had been about 2 weeks since the install and I sent a few reminder emails & made phone calls to them and I was told that the MD will have to visit my house to inspect.

I then received a call from the MD who took the approach that I am complaining over nothing, however he said that he will visit next week to assess.

 

Unfortunately he did not turn up, but the installers did and they have removed the worktops completely and have taken them back. So I now have no worktops at all 3 weeks after the initial part install.

 

 

I am extremely frustrated by the lack of communication from them, they have not really proposed what remedial work will be done if at all. The term "rework" has only been stated by the lads who have installed & then removed the worktops.

 

 

Its been 5 weeks since I paid in FULL as this was a condition of ordering (so I used credit card) and 3 weeks since the install.

 

 

My question right now is where do I stand?

 

Can I demand a refund?

 

Do I have to allow them a chance to "rework" and what if the result is still unsatisfactory / not to spec?

 

Are there any time limits I should be aware of, for example 30 day to ask for money back etc.

 

 

 

Thank you very much for your time and any advice.

 

Regards,

WB

Edited March 25, 2021 by w4ter_Boy

[BankFodder]

Were they supplied and installed by the same people?

How much money are we talking about here?

Can you give us the dates that this all happened please

[w4ter_Boy]

Hi and thank you,

 

Yes the were manufactured and fitted by the same company.

 

Cost was circa £6k

 

Purchased around 8th Feb

Delivered and part Installed 3rd March

Removed 24th March

 

 

Regards,

WB

[BankFodder]

Thank you.

It seems to me that there are two things here. First of all you need to get your money back and secondly you need to repair the damage that has been caused. Presumably you don't want anything more to do with them.

On the first – you paid by credit card. If you had paid by bank transfer or if you had paid by cash you would have absolutely no recourse. You paid by credit card and so you have protection under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act and so you should contact your credit card issuer tomorrow and begin the process of making a claim.

They may not be too happy about it – but let us know and we will help you to push it through.

Second thing to do is to start finding out the cost of making good or removing the installation and replacing it with an installation from someone else.

The other very good thing that you have done in addition to paying by credit card is that you have had the installation carried out by the people who supplied the material. All too often we get stories from people who bought the material from one source and then had it installed by somebody else and they then find themselves piggy in the middle with each side blaming the other. Because you have got it all from one supplier, then there is no question of liability. It is all theirs.

It is important to gather a paper trail. Get a couple of independent suppliers/installers to visit you and to quote for whatever work you need doing to make it good. That could include ripping it out and starting from zero. Whatever your experts advise.

I would suggest that you contact your existing installers and let them know that this is what you are doing and tell them that if there are any fees associated with the inspection then you will be looking to them to reimburse you but that you will let them know in advance how much these fees will be.

You need to be very methodical about keeping a paper record of everything and letting the other side know exactly what you are spending so that they understand how their liabilities are building up.

When you have got two evaluations for the work then choose the one – probably the one which is the cheapest and put the work in hand. Once again, give the other side advance notice that this is what you are doing and this is what the cost is and that you will be looking to them to reimburse anything over and above the price that you had agreed to pay them.

Your objective here is to get your worktops et cetera into the position that they would have been if they had been correctly fitted to begin with and not to pay a penny more than you had already agreed to the existing installers.

Please will you tell us the name of the installers who were meant to be doing the work in the first place. Don't be shy about it – there's no disadvantage to you

 

[w4ter_Boy]

Hi BF,

Thank you for your very detailed reply, I will get to work on it tomorrow and keep you updated. 

 

On one hand, I want them to make good and provide me the quality product and service that I was promised.

 

Then on the other hand I want to walk away and get my hard earned money back. However, the stress, lengthy process and inconvenience that all that will cause is off putting. But why should I settle for a bodge job...

 

 

I have not been left with any damage, all the damage was within their worktops, which they have now completely removed and taken back.

 

I can only assume that they will be planning some remedial work on the worktops and will then want to come back and reinstall. 

 

The issue is, that I have lost all faith in the company along with the expected level of quality that was promised. The transaction has effectively lost its shine and thus left us very underwhelmed. 

 

The worktops come with a 10 year warranty and based on the attitude and approach of the company this far, I doubt that they would support any claim raised over the next 10 years.

 

 

I think I need to sleep on it and then make a decision.

 

 

Thank you again, hope to give you an update soon.

 

Kind regards,

WB

[BankFodder]

Well in the experience that we have accumulated on this forum, you have lost confidence in them – it sounds as if you are correct to have done so and you should get out of it. You now have a difficult relationship with this company. Also, you say that you have a 10 year warranty – but the warranty will only last as long as the business lasts.

I asked you to tell us the name of the firm and you haven't addressed this question