dilemma

[kilty55]

hi all im looking for an outsiders advice on somethign that went wrong on a job for us today

i have been doing a bathroom at nights for a customer tiling only
took a young lad with me tonight to help me grout and clean up and whilst standing on the raised stone resin shower tray grouting he decided to jump up to catch the top tiles which were about 6 inches out his reach as hes a short arse...the better solution of course would have been to use something to step up to the height

however he didnt and on landing an almighty crack sounded,,,the tray has a hairline fracture in it.....i checked the tray and it is sitting on 18mm ply with no sand cement bedding so a huge void under it? i always thought these were meant to be bedded to prevent cracking but hey ho

i know the lad shouldnt have jumped up but he is 9 stone and 5 foot 4 so not exactly big ,should a tray cracl like this and do you think i am liable to fix or the plumber who imo hasnt installed the tray correctly

 

[DHTiling]

I think the way the customer will see it is.... it wasn't cracked before the tiling.. accidents happen jamie...

I know plumbers who bed trays down with silicone..

 

[kilty55]

fair dos dave,aye i know im putting it down to an accident

customer has paid and also knows it cracked when we were working im going to try to see if the bath doctor guy can fix it

 

[Dan]

Do you know what exact tray it is that has been used?

 

[kilty55]

hi dan sorry i dont know as i was only doing tiling,the advice im getting from the net is that these trays need to be bedded...and if its my refit we always bed them as well

 

[Dan]

I know a lot of them do that's why I asked.

As Dave said though, it'll be a case of "it was alright before you touched it".

Though I would let the plumber know that he needs to bed them, if he does actually need to bed them (hence me asking for the brand so I could get a PDF or something for you to print off perhaps).

Last thing you want to do is find out it only needed a timber frame or something random like that.

What material does it appear to be made of, can you tell?

 

[kilty55]

cheers dan.customer said its a stone resin tray i didnt ask much further tbh but i will find out tommorow

 

[Andy Allen]

hi jamie, have you not got any PLI, accidents happen, and the customer and plumber will no dout blame you.....

 

[kilty55]

hi yes i have insurance but a 250 excess mate,i looked into it and at the end of the day the tray was incorrectly installed with nothing to support the flex so the plumber who btw is a complete bombscare can carry the can.

i spoke to the bath doctor who can fix it for 70 pounds says he repairs these trays a lot when not installed properly as they crack more easily.

i guess its like me dot and dabbing 4 corners of a tile and the plumber drilling the centre for his shower and shattering a tile,

 

[Dan]

I'd pay the 70 quid and move on. It'd cost you more in time trying to chase it off the plumber.

Just inform the customer that he didn't install it correctly but you will pay for it to be fixed, though it might be worth them pursuing with the plumber to get it fitted properly or else they will need to take a lot of care when showering to make sure they don't split it.

The customer wont use the plumber again then. And you look like the good bloke.

 

[Spud]

hi Jamie I just read this and my opinion it is more to do with your reputation than the plumbers as Dave says it wasnt broken before you started so my advice is pay the 70 pound but let the customer know that you are doing this as a goodwill gesture as you pride yourself on good customer service ,let the lad who works for you know that he will be working off the 70 pounds as it must also be a leeson learned for him that if you make mistakes you have to pay for them ,I would soften the blow by taking a fiver a week off of his wages until its paid off

 

[Perry]

no Jamie i don't think you are responsible if a shower tray is fitted correctly a 30 stone guy should be able to jump up and down in it there shouldn't be a weight restriction if it is correctly fitted it is not fit for purpose and yes you may get it repaired but it will happen again

 

[Colour Republic]

I think you have to take it on the chin I'm afraid even if it is hard to swallow. It would have been better if it broke during the day with others around but as it is, it's you word against the plumbers regarding how easily it broke.

Also I'd get it replaced rather than repaired. Stone trays are normally £50-£120 trade unless it's something really special. The problem with repairing is that you're now liable for any future leeks if that repair fails and seeing as it will still be unsupported it may well do. Is it really worth taking the risk to save a few quid, we all know the damage a leaking shower can do unchecked.

 

[kilty55]

quick update the plumber is paying for a new tray and also re installing it correctly so no issues.

customer saw thats it was the plumbers issue when i downloaded the install guide for a tray like his..all is well

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

good on him