Defective Patio complaint

[Feistyflorist]

Had a patio laid professionally in 2018. A few months later I called them back as some of the slabs sounded hollow underneath. They lifted them and reset saying the mortar was faulty. Roll on 3 years and much of the mortar is coming away, stones now loose, called them back again, they said the whole patio would need to come up and that the mortar was faulty and they feared if they only part did the job it would get worse and they would go away and think about it. Two weeks later I chase them they say, we’ll replace the mortar in between the stones for free or to lift the patio, clean and relay will be £700. What would your response be? The original patio cost over £5k.

 

[John D v2.0]

My response would be to ask what the guarantee would be this time, you don't want to pay the 700 and get another 3 years!

 

[^woody^]

"It's out of warranty" would be my response

 

[IT Minion]

Warranty isn't the only thing, if something hasn't been done to a reasonable standard then you can claim money back even after a warranty has expired.

For example if you assumed a patio should be good for 20 years but it failed after 3 then you can try to claim 17/20th of the money back because it failed early.

Itd be a small claims court process and there's no chance the builders will be aware of it, or accept they're responsible until/unless a magistrate tells them to pay up.

 

[^woody^]

For example if you assumed a patio should be good for 20 years

So if I "assume" my car will work for 50 years, I can put in a claim in 2070?

Buzzin.

 

[IT Minion]

So if I "assume" my car will work for 50 years, I can put in a claim in 2070?

Buzzin.

How long do you think a well installed patio should last?

 

[Feistyflorist]

The original quote stated

‘Paving to be laid on full beds of wet concrete to provide a long lasting stable finish.
Paving joints to be pointed using the traditional mortar method to compliment the natural look of the chosen paving.’

Thanks for the responses, I asked them to come and look at it to give me a price to tidy it up, when they came to look at it they said it all needed taking up. I don’t believe for a minute a professionally installed job would need to be redone within 3 years. As for ‘a long lasting stable finish’, clearly this is not the case. I’ll contact citizens advice tomorrow and get some advice from them. I’m surprised that some of you think that it’s acceptable for a patio to need to be fully lifted and reset within 3 years and that I should foot the bill. I would pay to have it repaired if it was just a case of tidying it up but this clearly isn’t going to fix the underlying issue, the fact that they have said the mortar is faulty and the base is insecure.

 

[mattylad]

I would not let the same company have a 2nd go at this for more payment.
Find someone else.

 

[^woody^]

How long do you think a well installed patio should last?

You answer my question to your assertion first, and then I'll let you know my thoughts on a standard warranty period for household patios.

 

[Feistyflorist]

Citizens advice state, I can get quotes from other paving companies to rectify the problem and it will be charged to the original company. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers a purchaser for 6 years for this type of problem. I do not need to give the original company the opportunity to repair but if I did, it would be free of charge, within a set timescale and at no inconvenience to me.

 

[Feistyflorist]

You answer my question to your assertion first, and then I'll let you know my thoughts on a standard warranty period for household patios.

I don’t need to ascertain how long it should last, the law does this for me in their 6 years period as stated above. However, I would say a patio should last at least 10 years and much longer if care is taken of it. I was involved in laying a york stone patio in the 1970’s, it’s still there now.

 

[^woody^]

I don’t need to ascertain how long it should last, the law does this for me in their 6 years period as stated above. However, I would say a patio should last at least 10 years and much longer if care is taken of it. I was involved in laying a york stone patio in the 1970’s, it’s still there now.

Really?

What's the guarantee on your house? Your car? Your hip replacement? Your fillings? A pair of jeans, a pair of wool socks?
Six years?

Did you actually specify the BS/EN standards that you required the materials and installation that your patio must to perform to? Or are you saying that you expect a job with cheap materials and cheap labour and no actual performance standards should last as long as one that is properly specified and uses premium design, materials and labour?

 

[Captain Nemesis]

You answer my question to your assertion first, and then I'll let you know my thoughts on a standard warranty period for household patios.

Warranty is not the same as how long a competently done thing should last.

 

[Feistyflorist]

Houses are built with a 10 year guarantee. They stated it would be on a type 1 sub base and materials used to provide a long lasting finish. I did specify the stone to be used based on their recommendations. I didn’t say that they used cheap materials, by their own admission though they did say they didn’t use that particular mortar any longer. I don’t need to defend myself, the law states what is to be expected and how to go about putting it right.

 

[IT Minion]

You answer my question to your assertion first, and then I'll let you know my thoughts on a standard warranty period for household patios.

Your example is clearly *******s as no one expects a car to last 50+ years. And this isn't about a warranty, it's about a realistic expectation of longevity

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/c...purchase/claim-using-a-warranty-or-guarantee/