B
bigandybear
What checks (formal or informal) can I do against a tradesman / plumber (typically an OMB or an independant) to verify capability and also how can I make them accountable (if any) to a higher body / imposing body.
In short, I engaged a plumber to redo my bathroom, a very pleasant hardworking chap who was a referal from my best friend - on the face of it did a splendid job. within weeks, there were problems and after calling him back half a dozen times (each time I called he had a litanny of excuses as to why it would be a week or two before he could sort out my problem), I decided to cut my losses and try someone else. I googled plumber, was taken to the yellow pages and the first link was the number of a business, which had a shop and was VAT registered. Spoke with him and then engaged him with the two specific remits - 1) money is no object and 2) sort out all the problems.
A firm in Cradley was the tradesman I used, and I have to say, they have devastated my house. On first inspect, they inspected the "botched jobs" and quoted a solution. I agreed, stressing again, that "money was no object". they, did the work and finally everything was done.
Days later the celiing in the living room started to leak. they simply looked at the leak (tilting his head upwards), drew a circle around the leak and then suggested we wait a couple of weeks to see if it grew bigger. It grew bigger. Only on this next ocassion did they check the shower plate when he visited - it was cracked and needed a new one. I was relieved because they gave me a 25 year guarentee on the shower plate, written down in guarentee form. Could get him to fit the new one??? No chance!!!
It was weeks and weeks before they finally fitted the newhower plate, quoting an array of reasons as to why the shower plate had not yet arrived including.
1) The Manufacturer has to write to me first of all
2) The manufacturer has to come out and inspect the faulty plate
3) I broke the plate because I was too heavy
4) I coukld not contact the manufacturer directly
5) If I contacted the manufactuer directly, they would get in trouble?
6) Replacing show plates (the bit you stand in) is not a priority to the Manufacturer
7) Its took 2 days to get the original shower plate, this is because to the manufacturer I was a paying customer
8) when enacting the guarentee, I am not a prioity to the manufacturer
9) My installerdidnt use the guarentee, instead, paid for it outr of his own pocket?
10)They said I cant get a new gaurentee?
Last week, they finally fitted the new shower plate, on the tuesday. On the friday morning, the ceiling leaked badly. On the friday afternoon, the celining above the bathroom craked and half the ceiling came crashing down revealing a network of what I can only say is messy pipes, dripy leaks, rotten wood and, flabbergastingly, the shower plate was balanced on four thin slats of wood????
I called the plumber, he denied that any of the errors were his responsibility, and said any problems were my fault!!!
I trust yelow pages, I trust google??
In short, I engaged a plumber to redo my bathroom, a very pleasant hardworking chap who was a referal from my best friend - on the face of it did a splendid job. within weeks, there were problems and after calling him back half a dozen times (each time I called he had a litanny of excuses as to why it would be a week or two before he could sort out my problem), I decided to cut my losses and try someone else. I googled plumber, was taken to the yellow pages and the first link was the number of a business, which had a shop and was VAT registered. Spoke with him and then engaged him with the two specific remits - 1) money is no object and 2) sort out all the problems.
A firm in Cradley was the tradesman I used, and I have to say, they have devastated my house. On first inspect, they inspected the "botched jobs" and quoted a solution. I agreed, stressing again, that "money was no object". they, did the work and finally everything was done.
Days later the celiing in the living room started to leak. they simply looked at the leak (tilting his head upwards), drew a circle around the leak and then suggested we wait a couple of weeks to see if it grew bigger. It grew bigger. Only on this next ocassion did they check the shower plate when he visited - it was cracked and needed a new one. I was relieved because they gave me a 25 year guarentee on the shower plate, written down in guarentee form. Could get him to fit the new one??? No chance!!!
It was weeks and weeks before they finally fitted the newhower plate, quoting an array of reasons as to why the shower plate had not yet arrived including.
1) The Manufacturer has to write to me first of all
2) The manufacturer has to come out and inspect the faulty plate
3) I broke the plate because I was too heavy
4) I coukld not contact the manufacturer directly
5) If I contacted the manufactuer directly, they would get in trouble?
6) Replacing show plates (the bit you stand in) is not a priority to the Manufacturer
7) Its took 2 days to get the original shower plate, this is because to the manufacturer I was a paying customer
8) when enacting the guarentee, I am not a prioity to the manufacturer
9) My installerdidnt use the guarentee, instead, paid for it outr of his own pocket?
10)They said I cant get a new gaurentee?
Last week, they finally fitted the new shower plate, on the tuesday. On the friday morning, the ceiling leaked badly. On the friday afternoon, the celining above the bathroom craked and half the ceiling came crashing down revealing a network of what I can only say is messy pipes, dripy leaks, rotten wood and, flabbergastingly, the shower plate was balanced on four thin slats of wood????
I called the plumber, he denied that any of the errors were his responsibility, and said any problems were my fault!!!
I trust yelow pages, I trust google??
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