Plumber & Emergency Work Required

[flipflop104]

Last November a friend of my cousins fitted my bathroom for me (I paid him �3k - just used him cos my cousin knew him and though he could be trusted).
On Thursday the toilet got blocked and overflowed all over my bathroom. I called an emergency plumber who I have insurance with who came and sorted the blocked toilet temporarily but said that there were a couple of things the guy who had fitted the bathroom had done incorrectly and that I'd need to get him back to sort the problem permanently.

I immediately phoned the original fitter but he is away until Sept. 11th.

This morning I have found that my toilet is leaking and is coming through to the kitchen, so I'm a bit scared to wait until Sept. 11th in order for the original bathroom guy to sort it out.

How do I stand legally with getting some other plumber in to do all the work that needs doing (ie. the originals guy's botch jobs) and then invoicing the original guy (without consulting him first cos I can't get hold of him until Sept. 11th)?
Cos I don't see why I should have to pay for someone to do the repair work of a load of botch jobs (I'd get the original guy back if I couold immediately) or just sit around and wait for the leaky toilet to ruin my kitchen as well cos original guy;s on holiday. It's less than 12months since the original guy fitted the bathroom and I don't see why I should pay out twice (bathroom fitting and now rectifying bad job).

Sorry to ramble on but I really don't know what to do - I don't want my kitchen falling apart as well as my bathroom as that's only 5 years old.

HELP

[maxine55]

you must have been happy with the work carried out at the time or else why did you pay!! cant be that botched if you only noticed them when the other plumber pointed them out!did he give you a years gaurentee or did you not go with a proper plumbing company but wanted a cheap job? if the later what did you expect and again if you were not happy with it why pay him. is it his fault you had a blocked toilet especially since november a long time ago i think not!! stop moaning and pay a proper plumber to sort out your mistake. its up to you to stop it ruining your property not the poor plumber whos away

[flipflop104]

Hold on a minute - I'm not a plumber so how was I supposed to know he'd botched up the internal plumbing - on the face of it the bathroom looked great (and still does) but I don't know how pipes are supposed to be linked (and I've been advised he's done it incorrectly) and I wasn't standing over his shoulders all day everyday while he did the work so how would I know whether I'm happy with the job when I can''t see "inside" the floor that he's now tiled over or "inside" the cupboards he's put together and sealed in.

I paid him because I thought he'd done a good job. And yes he is a proper bathroom fitting man - it's his daily job - I was just given his name by my cousin.

How on earth do you figure it's my mistake? I didn't fit the pipes!! There's a certain element of trust required with workmen (just like you trust your doctor or dentist - you have no idea if they're diagnosing correctly) just as I had no idea that he was doing the job INCORRECTLY. And to be honest, I don't think November IS that long ago - if you bought a new TV you'd expect it to last longer than 9 months (especially if you'd paid �3k) so why can't I expect my bathroom to last longer than that before incurring problems???

[maxine55]

it seems to me you have had a lot of work done for �3K if he is a proper plumbing company he will know how to do the pipes correctley in the first place if he does this day in and day out how is he making a living if he cant plumb correctley. so he must be able to do his job !is the other plumber proper or just trying to get work form you. if you took your telly back after 9 months you would get it repaired only if there fault not yours. give the first plumber a chance to mend any work that is his fault in the mean time stop it leaking to safe guard your property instead of writing on here

[ojread2]

I think there are a number of things you need to consider.

How did the loo get blocked to start with? What was it blocked by/with?

The fitter may not have botched the job as the loo wasn't leaking before your plumber came and 'fixed'? It may have been your plumber who loosened a tile, the loo etc

In unblocking (what was probably your fault) your plumber may well have moved the loo enough for it to start leaking.

If you have insurance with your plumber then call him back to fix the problem under the insurance. Claim on household insurance for any damage done to ceilings and floors

ojx

[flipflop104]

The original problem (how it got blocked), I'm told, is the original bathroom fitter has put the shower waste pipe too far into the main waste pipe and the toilet waste pipe falls in above the shower waster pipe, so loo roll and stuff that goes from the toilet has not all been going down the main waste pipe but sitting ontop of the shower waste pipe (that is just below it and jutting into the main waste pipe) - eventually the build up caused the problem I encountered the other day.
The other problem was that the waste pipe from the toilet has two flexi bends in it and you are only supposed to put one in so debris has been building up in the second flexi bend as well. This is all the "work" of the original plumber.

The emergency guys who came to fix it took the waste pipe off the toilet to clear the blockage and said that the waste pipe wasn't fitted properly - it literally fell of the toilet in their hands - so yeah the leak is probably down to them not pushing it back on properly and I am going to get them to come and look at it again.

What I am worried about is the WHOLE problem having to wait until September 11th to be able to get the original fitter back in and hence my question about where I stand if I get someone to sort it PROPERLY and PERMANENTLY and then invoice the original bathroom fitter