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Where do we stand legally with an independant bathroom fitter
Over the past 2 yrs we've been redecorating our house. The bathroom was due to be done in April. We were going to arrange for various people to do the work individually various times but my partners friend recommended someone who could do the entire bathroom as he had just had his own bathroom re-vamped by this "said" guy!
Anyway, we paid that little more than if we would have hired seperate people, for the convenience of it all. All was going well, so we thought, as the bathroom was stripped bare on the first day and the preparation work was going well. As the work progressed we had several (5) leaks. He thought it was one thing, which it never was, then thought it was another ... which it never was. Anyhow, these leaks caused our downstairs hall ceiling to discolour due to the damp and at one point we had a constant dribble down the wall .... the ceiling can be painted over, I hope!
The work got to the point where the tiles werent flush with each other, the shower had been fitted at an angle where it was falling forwards, etc. To cut a long story short we "let him go" with most of the money he had quoted for the job ---- stupid us!!
We have now got a very reliable guy to carry out the work who works for Dolphin bathrooms and he has told us that the work the guy did was ridiculous. He has "dot and dabbed" the travertine tiles onto the wall and not filled them ... he had not replaced missing floor boards that he took up to fix pipes and just put plywood over them .... etc etc.
We just wonder were we stand legally with this guy to maybe claim some money back - he was an independant guy so not working thorugh a company. Plus we dont have any photos of his work - though it looked good to the eye - yet the new guys witnessed his "mess" as they took everything down!!
Anyway, we paid that little more than if we would have hired seperate people, for the convenience of it all. All was going well, so we thought, as the bathroom was stripped bare on the first day and the preparation work was going well. As the work progressed we had several (5) leaks. He thought it was one thing, which it never was, then thought it was another ... which it never was. Anyhow, these leaks caused our downstairs hall ceiling to discolour due to the damp and at one point we had a constant dribble down the wall .... the ceiling can be painted over, I hope!
The work got to the point where the tiles werent flush with each other, the shower had been fitted at an angle where it was falling forwards, etc. To cut a long story short we "let him go" with most of the money he had quoted for the job ---- stupid us!!
We have now got a very reliable guy to carry out the work who works for Dolphin bathrooms and he has told us that the work the guy did was ridiculous. He has "dot and dabbed" the travertine tiles onto the wall and not filled them ... he had not replaced missing floor boards that he took up to fix pipes and just put plywood over them .... etc etc.
We just wonder were we stand legally with this guy to maybe claim some money back - he was an independant guy so not working thorugh a company. Plus we dont have any photos of his work - though it looked good to the eye - yet the new guys witnessed his "mess" as they took everything down!!
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Has the work he botched been fixed now or is it possible to get photos of the problems as they have been discovered?
Would the guy who fixed it be willing to provide a statement to back up what he has said?
Have you got invoices, receipts, proof of payment etc... for what you paid the first guy and what for?
Might be worth an initial professionally done threat of further action and report to trading standard and such. Is he registered with any professional body you could threaten to report him to?
You could see if CAB would help you do that initially so you don't risk prejudicing any further action.
How much did you pay over to him and has it cost you extra to remedy his botched job over and above the work that needed doing in the first place and can you quantify it in money terms eg leak repair, fixing damp and painting over damp.
Could you have mitigated your loss in any way?
Make sure you keep receipts and such for everything connected with the work on the bathroom.
Could your household insurer help? Have you got legal expenses insurance on it?
Would the guy who fixed it be willing to provide a statement to back up what he has said?
Have you got invoices, receipts, proof of payment etc... for what you paid the first guy and what for?
Might be worth an initial professionally done threat of further action and report to trading standard and such. Is he registered with any professional body you could threaten to report him to?
You could see if CAB would help you do that initially so you don't risk prejudicing any further action.
How much did you pay over to him and has it cost you extra to remedy his botched job over and above the work that needed doing in the first place and can you quantify it in money terms eg leak repair, fixing damp and painting over damp.
Could you have mitigated your loss in any way?
Make sure you keep receipts and such for everything connected with the work on the bathroom.
Could your household insurer help? Have you got legal expenses insurance on it?
The botched job is in the process of being fixed - so far we have had all the tiles pulled off the wall which were stuck ontop of the original tiles - to give a better finish (we were told). We have no photos whatsoever of his work unless the guy doing it at the moment took some!! Doubt it! Our only other option would be a statement from the current guy as to what he found - the only photo I could possibly get is photos of the stained walls/ceiling and the missing floor boards!
Receipt wise we have them for the items we bought - as in plywood, piping, etc but not for the labour of the work - cash in hand! This sounds even worse the more I write!!
How can I find out that he is registered without contacting him - only have a mobile number for him?? Sounds like CAB may be worth a try!
The job was quoted at £1600.00. The work was carried out over a bank holiday where he contacted my partner asking if he could have £500.00 out of the money he quoted due to the weekend. He said he didnt want full amount til job completed. When we called to advise we preferred him to leave the job my partner asked "what do I owe you". He said £1100.00 to which my partner gave him £600 in his hand as he had already given him £500.00 the week before ... this guy then asked "whats that, I want the full £1600.00 I quoted". He never actually got the full amount but the £600 ... which we are green at giving him now after all we are finding out!
We have not done any ceiling/wall repairs yet til the bathroom is completed but its really only going to be a paint job!
Just dont know where to go with this!
Receipt wise we have them for the items we bought - as in plywood, piping, etc but not for the labour of the work - cash in hand! This sounds even worse the more I write!!
How can I find out that he is registered without contacting him - only have a mobile number for him?? Sounds like CAB may be worth a try!
The job was quoted at £1600.00. The work was carried out over a bank holiday where he contacted my partner asking if he could have £500.00 out of the money he quoted due to the weekend. He said he didnt want full amount til job completed. When we called to advise we preferred him to leave the job my partner asked "what do I owe you". He said £1100.00 to which my partner gave him £600 in his hand as he had already given him £500.00 the week before ... this guy then asked "whats that, I want the full £1600.00 I quoted". He never actually got the full amount but the £600 ... which we are green at giving him now after all we are finding out!
We have not done any ceiling/wall repairs yet til the bathroom is completed but its really only going to be a paint job!
Just dont know where to go with this!
Ok, I'd make sure you can get a statement about the work undertaken asap just in case you can't get back in touch with the current contractor.
Can you get any photos of anything? The floor boards which were just replaced with plywood or has it been replaced already?, the tiles stuck on other tiles (even though they have been pulled off) etc...
Did you receive anything in writing? A quote or estimate? A list of materials required from him?
Does he work on his own or is he part of or tied to a company? If he was recommended to you then can your partner's friend help with any details?
Do you at least know his full name to be able to google him or otherwise try and find out anything more about him?
Might be a case of caveat emptor but nothing to stop you trying, just don't end up throwing good money after bad.
I'm not sure about finding out if he is registered or anything like that but it might be worth posting somewhere like Home & Garden with a link to this question to see if anyone can offer any advice on that aspect.
Can you get any photos of anything? The floor boards which were just replaced with plywood or has it been replaced already?, the tiles stuck on other tiles (even though they have been pulled off) etc...
Did you receive anything in writing? A quote or estimate? A list of materials required from him?
Does he work on his own or is he part of or tied to a company? If he was recommended to you then can your partner's friend help with any details?
Do you at least know his full name to be able to google him or otherwise try and find out anything more about him?
Might be a case of caveat emptor but nothing to stop you trying, just don't end up throwing good money after bad.
I'm not sure about finding out if he is registered or anything like that but it might be worth posting somewhere like Home & Garden with a link to this question to see if anyone can offer any advice on that aspect.
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