Thoroughly dodgy plumber- who to complain to?

[unimpressed]

Right so to cut a long story short, am renovating a house and employed a plumber to totally replumb and to fit a boiler.

Got several quotes, chose one in the middle from what seemed like a genuine chap, who had someone else working for him to do boilers. Chap sent to do boiler, then the plan changed and he was apparently to do the rest of the plumbing too. Fine, ok. Until we saw the standard of his work and the mess he left behind. I won't go into the boring details but the problems included;

• messing up the painted wall (fine, maybe to be expected) then repainting without asking, but using a light blue paint on a lilac wall and not noticing! Stripy walls!
• spraying oily crap up the newly plastered walls
• failing to put pipes where asked (for no good reason) and consequently leaving the job looking a mess, pipes through new skirting needing to be moved and cracking a tile he shouldn't even have been drilling through in the first place
• attaching upstairs rads at heights varying by over 20cm- just looked daft, some far too high!
• leaving a general mess behind him including piles of brick rubble and pipe offcuts
• leaving us without a warranty on the installed boiler, despite the fact we opted for the more expensive boiler to get a longer warranty
• fitting push fit where his insurance insisted on compression fittings
• not finishing the bloody job!

So, who do I raise hell with? Most disappointed as he is related to the person we know who recommened him, so we hoped to get someone reliable. Fuming!

 

[SafeGasInstall]

i am really really sorry for what you have been , but related or not he should not been given more work

 

[lame plumber]

to get warranty, the benchmark ticket nneeds completing and you should also get a building regs ticket fm the installer thro gas safe.

 

[Rickster123]

Blimey everyone's related! You're not from the isle of wight are you?!

There's no excuse for poor workmanship. Unfortunately a few poor tradesmen give us all a bad name. The trouble you have is there isn't much you will be able to do. Maybe trading standards? Did you have a written detailed quote? Receipts for payment etc?

 

[plumber0808]

This is why trades get a bad name, sounds like you have been unlucky enough to have been on the wrong end of such poor service.
maybe post the remaining work up in the looking for a plumber section as by the sound of it you are not going to see them or get any money back.

we are not all like that. I fully understand why people are so wary.

 

[dancinplumba]

I know mate. Someone changed it eh other night, can't be bothered to change it back. I think it's quite fetching

love it xx suits you dear

 

[Dannypipe]

Lets have a look at the photos please?

 

[dancinplumba]

name and same i say

 

[ecowarm]

Shame?

 

[SafeGasInstall]

was his name Steve ?

 

[hammers4spanner]

name and same i say

slander !

 

[Dannypipe]

Was his name Clint?

 

[unimpressed]

Ok these pipes were supposed to come out below the floor, not into this room at all. There was no reason for them not to be run under the floor (different floor heights between rooms, no joists in the way). In doing it this way instead, he broke a tile he should not have been drilling in the first place.

 

[unimpressed]

Ha ha to Clint! What are the rules on this site re. name and shame?

 

[PlumbBobBob]

too lazy to take the floor up?

 

[Dannypipe]

I personally think it's a bad idea to mud fling in public. But that's just my opinion.

 

[hammers4spanner]

is that chrome ??

 

[Rickster123]

What are the pipes feeding and where?

 

[Dannypipe]

too lazy to take the floor up?

Yup, but evidently not too tight to buy chrome pipe and fittings?

 

[unimpressed]

This was not too bad, but the pipes going through the floor bent just under the floor. Fine, except the tiles were not down yet and the pipe bend was too close to the floor to allow the tiles to be fitted. Also It was not centred on the tiles as we asked.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

as a broken tile was mentioned by the op i guess they are for a towel rad

oops meant to be posted above the picture lol

 

[unimpressed]

Yes chrome. The floor is down, but there is no ceiling below, just open joists, so easy access underneath.

 

[unimpressed]

The pipes are for a rad in the bedroom the other side of the wall.

 

[unimpressed]

Rad image to follow

 

[dancinplumba]

Yup, but evidently not too tight to buy chrome pipe and fittings?

meant to be on show perhaps Dr Watson ? Hmmm deeper and deeper.........................

 

[hammers4spanner]

hmmmm looking like a possible two sides here

 

[unimpressed]

Ok this is the rad. Poor photo as wasn't taking it for this purpose-pipes just visible at bottom of photo. The pipes should have gone straight into the skirting, lower down, one at each end of the rad. he ignored what we asked and ran them higher up, both to the middle of the rad then through the skirting, higher than they should have been, so they came out in the bathroom rather than under the bathroom floor (floor height difference).

 

[unimpressed]

Oh and that lilac wall? That's the one he touched up with BLUE paint.

 

[unimpressed]

Dancin- yes the chrome was to be on show- on the OTHER side of the wall! It wasn't meant to show in the bathroom at all!

 

[lame plumber]

might be your work next, no one is perfect we all have off days, some more than others though

 

[dancinplumba]

hmmmm looking like a possible two sides here

indeed holmes, but perhaps requires more thought and a chuff on the olde pipe ......hmmmmmm