Badly fitted showers

[Derek61]

Hi,
Last week I purchased two shower pods on the internet from the sales manager of a gas registered company. The seller said they would come from Wolverhampton to Scotland to fit the showers. 3 guys arrived late afternoon and left the following day at 2am the next morning, charging twice the price to fit as it took them must longer than expected. I'm no plumber but they didn't seem to have much idea what they were doing. We tried the showers the following day - one leaks and the other has no hot water. A local plumber has looked at the second shower and has said that the pod is of an inferior quality and trading standards would condem the work. Have contacted the seller who says that all plumbers critise each others work. He has offered to refund us £200 to have a pump fitted but the local plumber seems dubious that this will work in the flat. We don't know whether to pay out more money to have the pod removed and check all the plumbing and then to have the pump fitted when this is an inferior product, or whether to just have it removed and write it off as an expensive mistake. We paid part of the money in cheque to the gas registered company but have had no guarantees yet. We also forgot to get a receipt before they left - we were so tired! We would really, really appreciate some impartial advice on what to do next.
Many thanks

 

[A1P]

Putting aside the quality of the shower pods the test is,is the installation 'fit for purpose' clearly it is not.The company who supplied the fitters is liable.It is also wrong that they should arrive late and expect extra payments for working late unless this was agreed in advance.It is a pity you agreed to this 'distance fitting' as any problems were always going to lead to a difficult situation but you are where you are.I am surprised it needed 3 men..I would try to get some meaningful contact with the company owner,he seems to have admitted fault to some degree by offering a pump as a solution.If he is registered with SAFE you might have some leverage IF they look into disputes involving members.You have the option to stop the cheque in partial payment but that escalates the situation.This option has limited time before clearance of cheque.Depending on the goodwill of your local plumber get a clear idea of what is needed to get the showers to work and the cost.You can use this when you discuss the situation but he clearly has his own ideas about this 'plumbers always criticize other plumbers'.The bottom line you have 2 non-functioning showers and his company/fitters are responsible.Good luck

 

[oldplumber]

sorry no sympathy here, why does anyone buy off the net, I wont fit kit bought via the net as I have had nothing but trouble in the past. Now you have to go to scotland to chase the firm, common sense would tell you not to do it, were they called dolphin bathrooms another great institution second to all the sheds (B&Q etc).

 

[A1P]

sorry no sympathy here, why does anyone buy off the net, I wont fit kit bought via the net as I have had nothing but trouble in the past. Now you have to go to scotland to chase the firm, common sense would tell you not to do it, were they called dolphin bathrooms another great institution second to all the sheds (B&Q etc).

Fair comment.The internet is often about price.There is no substitute for seeing the goods and although not always easy to enforce, you have your statutory 1 year fit for purpose guarantee when dealing with a local firm.ebay can be better in the sense you have feedback to view and I think using paypal gives you some cover.If you know what ur buying it can be good and I know a number of guys on the forum use it.There are also a number of reputable companies and all my branded tools have come this way.It is a different matter when customers do it.It is hard to convince people that trying to save £50-£100 on a boiler via internet has a number of potential problems.eg Customer buys it ,stores it for a few days,plumber if they find one trys to fit it,problems with boiler.Supplier blames customer/plumber or both.As regards original post they have been naive.A so called gas registered firm should not be stitching them up,late ,3 men,extra cost,bad job.

 

[stevetheplumber]

theres nothing wrong with buying on the net the problem is people xpect to much for their money
when theres a company on ebay offering to fit a new combi anywhere in the south of england for £1100 and your local plumber has quoted you £1800 common sense tells you theres going to be a big difference in the quality of work or matierials
always remember theres no such thing as a free lunch
buying from companies own websites where your buying known brands or you have had recomendations from others is reasonably safe
i probably buy one third of my matierials via the web mainly from pulsar direct

 

[WHPES]

I have no problem buying off the net, provided I know what I am getting and that it is a decent quality and make, and ideally something which I have seen first hand. However I would never buy anything unseen of an unknown make.

Some of these companies think any kind of handyman can fit a shower. Always use local reputable tradesmen where they rely on a good reputation and are handy if there are any comebacks.

Many plumbers are quite happy to fit something purchased by the customer PROVIDED that it is discussed BEFORE the customer goes and buys it. That way all the problems and choices can be addressed.

 

[Derek61]

Thank you all for your advice. We've always used our own local plumbers in the past but the seller was very persuasive. When we complained he insisted that, as the company was gas safe, they were more than qualified to carry out plumbing work and more so than an ordinary plumber. We're speaking to the local plumber tonight so will go with his advice on how to move forward. My main concern is the shower in the flat that we own in Perth, as we rent out this property, and I do not want to take any risks with any sort of installation work. We're hoping that the shower in our own flat is just leaking due to poor siliconing. We will speak to our own plumber tomorrow for advice. It will be interesting to get another opinion.

 

[A1P]

Whatever reservations some of us might have about how you got into the situation,you are entitled to a proper job.If it turns out your plumber can put it right reasonably inexpensively push for a significant part of the inflated/poor quality labour costs to be refunded in addition to the £200 offered.However dont let it become a major source of stress.As you now realise there are lessons to be learned.Use local tradesmen you can trust and research what you are buying.Nearly everything has reviews although these can be very negative as people with a grievance are more active on these sights.Good luck.

 

[WHPES]

Check if the company IS gas safe. If the aren't, then shop them.