annoyed customer

[dazzab]

i have spoken about this subject before.
i had a full bathroom install which included thermostatic shower which i piped into h & c supply pipes.
customers house works on combi.
week after install only warm water was coming through taps.
i carried out extensive checks and plumbing was done correctly.
i advised by note and vocally that the boiler needs to be checked.
3 weeks later i get a phone call stating she has hot water through all taps but the shower has stopped working.
i went to visit her.
i then advised that filters in shower poss blocked due to debris from boiler.
but there was also some brown water coming from cold taps and i remembered that the water board were doing some work 3 doors down from hers.
i remarked that it could be either hot or cold filters blocked.
note(pipes were flushed through upon install)

i told her this was not an installation fault.
i told her how much to repair it and she said she will not pay me it is my fault and that she will drag me through courts.
i said that i can look at it and if install fault then she not pay but if non install fault then she pay.
she still not wants to pay.


question is.......WHERE do i go from here?????? [/b]

 

[simond]

The Small Claims Court is a long winded method of getting paid.

Sometimes customers can be unreasonable, and the best way to run your business is to take a deposit to book the work and then collect the whole balance on completion.

That way, in this scenario, when it stopped working, you can still come back, advise her that if it is dirt in the filters, you may choose to make a charge, but if it is not, you will rectify at your own cost. But the important thing is that you have the payment already.

In this particular case, the Small Claims may be the only option to you. I would strongly suggest that before taking any formal action, you arrange to come and inspect the filters and take a digital camera with you. Make the offer politely in writing in a dated, headed letter.

If they are blocked, unblock them and ask for payment - and hopefully she will pay and put the matter behind you.

If she doesn't pay you will stand a much better chance of the magistrate finding in your favour if you have inspected the filters, and can show correspondence proving the sequence of events. Hopefully you also have a fully worded quotation, a set of terms and conditions too.

 

[D_Hailsham]

i told her how much to repair it and she said she will not pay me it is my fault and that she will drag me through courts.
i said that i can look at it and if install fault then she not pay but if non install fault then she pay.
she still not wants to pay.

I hope you are talking about the cost of correcting the problem and she does not owe you any money for the work you did.

If that is correct, I would do nothing; let her take you to court. It will be her responsibility to prove that the problem did not exist prior to you installed the shower and was a direct result of your work. I think she will have great difficulty in proving this.

 

[jeffreyw]

its a pity some people try it on
one customer tried to pin her cracked roof on me even though i had not even been near it
some people will allways try to get stuff doing for free

 

[breezer]

i some times think this is not the case (stuff for free) i think they really believe that you did what ever it was.

Many moons ago i installed an alarm, as i was showing how to use the bloke asked would i come out side, he pointed as his roof (tiled) and said those cables look terrible (they were running up the roof on the tiles) I said "yes they do don't they, its a bad way to install a tv aerial cable" he went OH, red face and shut up.

I really believe that he believed they were the alarm cables, look at it this way.

alarm installed, he hasnt taken much notice of how / what / where. when finished he then looks thouroughly round to see what he can see, and hey presto, cables on roof.

 

[westbrom]

sounds like another professional non payer mate

hope your not out of pocket on materials mate

I know this will be hard to take mate but if its only labour walk away from it........If you take her to small claims she will counter claim, the stress and ballache of days off, legal advice, loss of rep etc are long term not worth the hassle.

Strange how its always on extensive bathroom installs......you get non payers.................

 

[dazzab]

cheers guys
i had already been paid for the bathroom install fully.

this request from her to me to fix shower was weeks later.
after i had finished the install i told her boiler fault and get an engineer out .due to warm water only from taps and shower (working at time)
all plumbing checks were made and i was clear.

i left it and got this unreasonable demand from her.

 

[wms]

If you have been paid as you say, you have offered her your professional opinion on what the cause is. next step for you. Tell her to take a hike.
if she tries to take you to court she will have to prove that the defect was a result of your work . not a leg to stand on springs to mind. plus when she finds out she will have to outlay money to start court proceedings, she'll probably think twice any way.

I would follow up with a letter explaining your findings and an estimate for remedial works this way you have already got on file communications explaining the problem. and proof to the fact that you have already returned to check the works you carried out.

If I had a pound for the amount of r-soles I have had to deal with over the years.