Need advice on 'extras' we're being charged for fitting a bathroom
- Thread starter Curiosity101
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All I can suggest is spend a few minutes deep breathing and thinking about who is in charge here..... to avoid doubt, it’s the person who owns the house and who’s paying £7k for the bathroom just how they want it.
My suggestion is you have a frank conversation with the builder. Not confrontational, but firm. Tell him you don’t feel the pipe work or wall boarding was unexpected as he’d seen and quoted. Also tell him you didn’t agree to the towel rail so don’t want it.
It’s as simple as that. You can also talk to him about work for the next week to see if there are any other decisions to be made. If he’s reasonable, he’ll discuss with you. If he’s a prick, tell him it’s your house and he’d better realise who he’s working for. Then kick him in the *******s.
My suggestion is you have a frank conversation with the builder. Not confrontational, but firm. Tell him you don’t feel the pipe work or wall boarding was unexpected as he’d seen and quoted. Also tell him you didn’t agree to the towel rail so don’t want it.
It’s as simple as that. You can also talk to him about work for the next week to see if there are any other decisions to be made. If he’s reasonable, he’ll discuss with you. If he’s a prick, tell him it’s your house and he’d better realise who he’s working for. Then kick him in the *******s.
They can't do that...as I said before, alterations to a quote without your agreement are not acceptable in law. Get him to change it to what you wanted originally, and what was agreed, IE a radiator, and sort it out at the end. Make it clear that further extras are not acceptable, but do so in a way that doesn't suggest you've agreed to pay for the extras already carried out. I suggest you have a proper discussion about those when it comes to bill-paying time to avoid too much upset now. You don't want your relationship with him to break down mid job.
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That's effectively what we did last night. I called them, but he asked to speak to my husband instead. My husband was there listening to the phone call and said he couldn't see any reason why he didn't want to talk to me, so it's not as if I was rude to the guy.
So then my husband called him and explained it all, and we've also followed up in an email.
With the radiator we explained that it doesn't fit our requirements and we didn't agree to it. "But it's done and we don't think pulling up all the floors to change it now is the right thing to do". The only reason we said that is because he started telling us how we were going to have to pay for all that work to be redone, plus the radiator, plus the new radiator and that scared us so we backed down. But also, like you said you don't want the relationship to break down mid job so this seemed like the best compromise ie. We're not agreeing to it but if it's better for you to leave it in you can.
Did we handle that really badly? They have the day off today so we have time to retract that and ask them to remove it without impacting the job any further, as in saying it today or yesterday makes no difference.
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In practical terms your position is weaker at present as they can and probably will threaten to walk off the job if they sense there is a payment issue.
Your position is stronger at the end if the job when they want payment.
It's the balancing act between the two.
Blup
Your position is stronger at the end if the job when they want payment.
It's the balancing act between the two.
Blup
Everyone is different. But if it were me and he suggested I’d have to pay extra to rectify a rad I didn’t want or agree to he’d be spitting teeth.
Looks like what’s done is done to be honest.
Looks like what’s done is done to be honest.
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You should have called him out on that move. Trying to go up the chain of hierarchy
. Lost my opinion of him now.That should have been a "when you ask to speak to someone supervisor, then it turns out they own the shop" situation.
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You should have called him out on that move. Trying to go up the chain of hierarchy
That should have been a "when you ask to speak to someone supervisor, then it turns out they own the shop" situation.
To be honest that doesn't bother me too much, it was a bit of an eye roll moment but hey ho. I'd rather it wasn't me who had to deal with the face to face (or in this case phone to phone) bits anyway
Today's update: They told us they weren't going to be onsite today. Which led to us being very confused when the cctv cameras were triggered showing someone going into the house and also walking around in our garage. Turns out they had planned for a plasterer to come today and had given him our house key.
Is it normal to not at least drop us a message to let us know? We were literally watching this guy wandering in and out of our house and around the garage with no idea who he was but hoping he was part of the bathroom work. We messaged them to check and they said it was probably the plasterer which was a big *phew* moment...
To be honest that doesn't bother me too much, it was a bit of an eye roll moment but hey ho. I'd rather it wasn't me who had to deal with the face to face (or in this case phone to phone) bits anyway
Today's update: They told us they weren't going to be onsite today. Which led to us being very confused when the cctv cameras were triggered showing someone going into the house and also walking around in our garage. Turns out they had planned for a plasterer to come today and had given him our house key.
Is it normal to not at least drop us a message to let us know? We were literally watching this guy wandering in and out of our house and around the garage with no idea who he was but hoping he was part of the bathroom work. We messaged them to check and they said it was probably the plasterer which was a big *phew* moment...
I wouldnt say its normal, but poor communication with site work means its not that uncommon.
Which is what he would have been hoping would be the result, because he knew he was in the wrong and getting you to accept the incorrect installation means he gets away with it.
Yes you did handle it badly, you need to stick to your guns and get what you want. You're paying a lot of money and you want it to be right. You need to send him something along the lines of "having had time to consider, we've decided that we aren't happy with the towel warmer you've supplied, and would like this to be replaced with a radiator as per the original specification we agreed to when you quoted for the work". Say nothing at this stage that commits you to paying any extra. TBH he sounds like an idiot, asking to speak to your husband instead of you, and adding extras on as he feels like it.
wow... I'm impressed with you. If the marriage doesn't work out give me a call.
He sounds like a chancer.
I would normally much rather deal with the lady of the house in these situations. Husbands are usually a pita. But then, ploughing ahead on a bathroom installation without clear plans and finishes laid out from the get go is crazy. On both sides.
I do have sympathies for the OP; but a little voice in the back of my head is saying that somehow they deserve each other in some small way.
You are not wrong, Dan, but one has to remember that a typical customer does not spend £7k on a bathroom refurb on a regular basis. "Big" jobs are a relatively unusual undertaking as an individual.
The installer is supposed to be the professional, and act / advise accordingly. This guy is professional only in the sense that he is a skilled manipulator.
Remember-if a punter asks endless questions and dictates his wishes and ideas - he is considered a PITA and the general advice hete is to walk away .
Sometimes the punter cannot win
Lol! I've got exactly that situation going on right now and my gut says walk away!
Last msg I got (Sunday afternoon) was from her friend which read "Jane thinks she's having problems with her text messages as she hasn't received a reply to her txt msg sent to you earlier today! Did you get it?
I replied on Monday morning at 6am with "I did thanks"
3 days in and already being charged extras, that the op didnt agree to, nor know about until about after the work was done, then being dictated to about what the builder fitted against their wishes.
I know of a builder based in the Retford area who used the same tactics who was thrown of a couple of jobs i was on and who also had the police called on him for fraud.
I know of a builder based in the Retford area who used the same tactics who was thrown of a couple of jobs i was on and who also had the police called on him for fraud.
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