Needed to vent somewhat...

[Tute]

Hey GD, hope you don't mind me posting this but it's been eating me up all evening.

Basically my Mum paid to have a new Bathroom fitted. Now it all went smooth-ish, a self-employed fitter took the job on and came around and over the course of 10-14 days did the work.

My Mum paid up, and everything was fine.

Now, going around there tonight, she's complaining that there's holes in the wall behind the sink and toilet. I've had a look, and she does have a point - the pipework going into the wall is a bit of a bodge job.

Now Mum's gone totally off the handle and cancelled the cheque she wrote to the builder! Cue one angry phone call where they're threatening each other with court etc. - Mum wants him to come back and put it right but he won't come for a fortnight and she's worried that the cheque will clear in the meantime and he won't come around and correct it once he has the money.

The whole situation is threatening to get out of control - whilst I love my Mum to bits she's not blessed well in the discretion stakes and she certainly isn't good at diffusing a situation.

Anyhow, i'm worried that the builder is going to end up around there shouting the odds etc. and it's going to get out of hand.

Dunno what I expect people to say really. I want to just stay clear and let them sort it out but after all, your Mum is your Mum.

 

[Mickie]

a good way to get things sorted isnt by taking his money away, things may not be quite right but i'd be ****ed off if someone did that to me.. he has still spent time doing the work, over something small like that, i'd say its hardly fair to withhold the whole ammount of money like that.. if she is being a bitch about it and ends up not paying the man at all, if it were me, i'd go in their and smash up the whole bathroom..

 

[asim18]

"Dear Builder, Would it be possible to fill in the space around the piping. Regards."

Was it not that simple? Women lol

 

[NiCkNaMe]

If he hasn't done the work to a good standard then he should not be getting paid. HOWEVER, - 'a couple of weeks later' isn't really fair. This should have been picked up on much sooner, and raised and resolved.

Give you mum a kick. Contact the builder saying the cheque will clear, and give him a reasonable amount of time (e.g. 2 weeks is adequate in my opinion, even if he has other work booked) to resolve the situation. If he doesn't, then start to think about pursuing other lines.

 

[arknor]

didnt she inspect the work when he was finished and agree everything was satisfactory?

if she did then its her own fault and she should not be withholding payment for a job completed.

takes 5 minutes to fill over a hole aswell why dont you get some filler and do it? just sand it perfectly flat and smooth once its dry and paint over it.

 

[Tute]

At the end of the day, I wouldn't be able to get involved even if I wanted to. My Mum's like that - she does what she thinks is right and generally doesn't listen to advice - as I said above, no discretion!

She has to sort this out herself but I hate having to stand aside and let it happen.

 

[Deadbeat]

didnt she inspect the work when he was finished and agree everything was satisfactory?

if she did then its her own fault and she should not be withholding payment for a job completed.

takes 5 minutes to fill over a hole aswell why dont you get some filler and do it? just sand it perfectly flat and smooth once its dry and paint over it.

Doesn't always work like that, my dad had a few complaints last year about concrete he'd laid breaking up after a couple of years. He'd switched cement 3 years or so ago because, while the prices were similar for a few bags, bulk buy was much better with one yard and they didn't stock his regular cement. First noticed it when our patio started shedding a lot of stones and he's spent the last year contacting people and letting them know that if they have any problems he'll set some time aside to sort out their work cost-free. He's lost maybe 3 or 4 days a fortnight for most of the last year getting everything sorted out again, and thankfully most were generous enough to pay for the new materials and many for the labour on top (of their own volition), but it's caused no end of problems. Still, he contacted far more peopel than contacted him about it, but it's not always easy to see that something new isn't as good straight off.

Bottom line, contact your contractor and ask him to take a look at it. Promise to keep your mum out of it because, and I mean no offence by this, she doesn't seem very well equipped to handle it. Be decent about it and you'll likely find they're as embarrassed at their work as you are disappointed.

Unless they're scamming ********. Then you can do what you want with em.

 

[Tute]

That's the thing - I can't keep her out of it. It's her house - her bathroom, she had the job done. I don't live there anymore, I found all this out today when I went round there.

 

[Pestilence]

Try having a frank talk with her? There are better ways of handling it... for example, calling the plumber BEFORE cancelling the cheque? Most tradesmen will be happy enough to come round and put it right with nary a word.

Far too much Watchdog et al in her head, methinks.

 

[^TANK^]

Tute tell your mum to give the guy half and the other half when hes cleared up his spurs from the so called cowboy workmanship!

 

[Mickie]

i wouldnt agree with that, she could pay him half and tell the builder to not come back..

how about taking 20 quid off the price and giving him the rest when its done ? the problem isnt a big one by what i gather

 

[^TANK^]

Agree with what?

 

[Mickie]

with what you've just said

 

[^TANK^]

Tough titty if I was gripping the pennies.

 

[Mickie]

we're talking about holes behind a sink and toilet, its hardly somethig in full view, and i think its totally out of order to, without warning bounce someones cheque over it, or even if you'd have your way, hold back half the money and all this after she's had a look for her self and then approved the cheque.. ********

 

[Voltar]

Your ma is alright per the implied terms contained within the SGA and SGSA.
Basically the work isn't up to reasonable standards and isn't fit for purpose.
Should it come to court she'll win, although I'm not sure if that's any comfort...
Sorry for your troubles

 

[[FnG]magnolia]

"Dear Builder, Would it be possible to fill in the space around the piping. Regards."

Surely this?

 

[Beans on toast Dave]

Can you get photos

 

[Dave M]

Basically the work isn't up to reasonable standards and isn't fit for purpose.
Should it come to court she'll win

That's a big assumption from very little information.

did the fitter even make the holes in the wall? Unless they have re-arranged the bathroom or put it in another room the pipes have probably not been touched, maybe the new suite just makes it easier to see.

 

[Tute]

Your ma is alright per the implied terms contained within the SGA and SGSA.
Basically the work isn't up to reasonable standards and isn't fit for purpose.
Should it come to court she'll win, although I'm not sure if that's any comfort...
Sorry for your troubles

Well i'm 99.9% sure it won't get that far, it's just that situations like this leave me literally /facepalming at my Mum's distinct lack of being able to prevent a situation from getting out of control.

Surely this?

Yep, exactly what i'd have done - or at the very most i'd have withheld half until the job has finished.

That's a big assumption from very little information.

did the fitter even make the holes in the wall? Unless they have re-arranged the bathroom or put it in another room the pipes have probably not been touched, maybe the new suite just makes it easier to see.

Well the quote was for the whole bathroom to be done from top to bottom, so he literally gutted the room. The bath was the only thing to remain, although the sink was the same one as before it was removed for most of the job so the tiling could be done.

I've got a couple of pictures as best I can - it's not easy to get down behind and take the best pictures.

This is behind the sink:

And this is behind the toilet:

I have to admit, the bit behind the sink just looks plain untidy, but the toilet bit left me - it's just a bloody hole in the wall!