Where do i stand ?

[J.R Tiling]

Hi Guys just after some advice on where i stand on this one , will try and keep it short.

I went to tile a bathroom floor for a lady as her old tiles were coming up (builder had tiled directly on to floor boards in the bathroom :yikes i told her the sink and toilet would have to come out so that i could put backerboards down prior to tiling , they both had service valves fittd so would be easy to remove but told her my plumber would come and fit them back wich she said was fine.

I get a call from my plumber and he tells me he cant come round til the monday to fit sink/toilet (its fri now) so i go downstairs and tell the customer , she says she cant wait all weekend and would i fit it for her , i tell her im not quallified but will give it a go and she is more than happy so i go ahead and do it , finish the job and tell her to go steady round sink an toilet as silicone is wet , to wich she replies "dont worry i can use the downstairs toilet over the weekend":mad2:

The following friday i get a call from her as she she has a leak i tell her i will get my plumber onto it and he turns up on the sat morning to take a look, he has to remove a small peice of plasterboard from the hallway ceiling to sort things out but tells her he will get it patched up and repainted and she is happy, there is also a small seap on the service valve so he tels her he will replace this but doesnt have one on him so will be back monday.

I get a call on monday morning from the customer telling me she has stopped my cheque an doesnt want my plumber in her house again as he has not replaced the service valve yet and she will get somone else in to do it and patch up the roof and pay them with the money she was going to pay me with.

She said she is more than happy with my tiling but will not pay me til its sorted , am i being screwed here as i have offered her sevices of a plumber and plasterer to sort it but she has now changed her mind ?

Sory if its a but long winded guys but just wan know were i stand or do i just have to take it on the chin

 

[merlecollins]

This is an awful situation to be inrrr:

To cut a long story she is obliged to allow you to return and repair any defects with your work.

She also will struggle in a court of law (if it elevates that far) as she has issued a cheque then stopped it - that is a big no no....

Is she an approachable enough person? I would go and see her face to face and try and talk her round and be sensible. At the end of the day it's just a leaking valve....and she has already said she's happy with your tiling

 

[SandyFloor]

It sounds like her nose is out of joint for some reason. Sometimes a visit and a friendly chat to find out her grievances does the trick and everyone is happy.

 

[hillhead]

You have the law on your side. Play by the book. Talk some sense into her. You've made the right moves.

 

[Andy Allen]

she cant stop your cheque if your offering to put everything right, she has to give you that chance.

think the moral of this story is don't touch plumbing unless you can do it, your public liabilty insurence will allso be invalid unless you have plumbing work included in it.

 

[SandyFloor]

I just reread this one. If valves need replacing surely that is an extra anyway and separate to your work?

 

[peckers]

It sounds to me as if shes annoyed at your plumber rather then yourself as he diddnt turn up whan he said he was going too twice. as the others have said pop round and see her and speak to her and try and resolve the issue. get hold of the plumber and get a firm time when hes can do it. and turn up with him. when hes gone to do the job. make sure everyones happy and then re- invoice her when the jobs complete. you could even smooth things over as an appology(even though its not your fault) with a bottle of wine/flowers etc.
She has to give you the option to have it put right.

 

[SandyFloor]

I agree with Peckers here( assuming that it's the plumber that's upset her). Even though it might nip a bit you might be able to avoid unpleasantness and even turn it into a positive result with a bit of diplomacy.

Another issue that may arise is the damage to the hall ceiling may need to whole ceiling redecorated and she may need to be assured the damage was unavoidable and avoid any bad feeling there as well.

 

[mikethetile]

why did the ceiling have to be opened if you were using the service valves and why is the valve leaking now when it wasnt before

she has said she is unhappy with the plumbing , not with the plumber. a simple reinstatement with the plumbing has now grown into a major job with her hall ceiling

more upset and more inconveniance not to mention the worry as to how invisable the repair will prove to be, this could grow into a complete redec of her hall landing and stairs

I dont blame her for her lack of confidence, you cant expect to be paid untill this mess is sorted out

 

[kilty55]

you should never have done the plumbing yourself imo mate,this in turn has caused a leak and could also warrant a complete re skim and decoration of the hall from the insurance co

you cant charge her for a plasterer or your plumber for the follow up if its your work that caused the leak

this is of course if it was your plumbing that caused the leak??

 

[SandyFloor]

why did the ceiling have to be opened if you were using the service valves and why is the valve leaking now when it wasnt before

she has said she is unhappy with the plumbing , not with the plumber. a simple reinstatement with the plumbing has now grown into a major job with her hall ceiling

more upset and more inconveniance not to mention the worry as to how invisable the repair will prove to be, this could grow into a complete redec of her hall landing and stairs

I dont blame her for her lack of confidence, you cant expect to be paid untill this mess is sorted out

Good question. I assumed it was necessary but I can't think why it would be.

 

[Olz]

Being realistic mate, the reason its leaking is because you've removed and refit the sanitary ware, assuming that it wasnt leaking before, even if it was, your not going to be able to prove it, The number of times i've seen perfectly dry fittings leak after a removal and refit, they can be perfectly fine and prehistoric, but as soon as there undone and redone they leak. This is why I dont touch plumbing.

I appreciate that you want your money, but you shouldnt have touched the plumbing, no matter how easy it seemed without it being covered on your insurance. She is well within her rights to bill you for all the repair work, plumers bill, plastering the ceiling, painting it completley, the job lot.

Stopping the cheque is a big no no in the courts eyes and if you want to take her to court to claim the payment you can, but unless you pay the bill or rectify every last bit of damage caused she could just counter sue and get the cost, which she could easily make more than your tiling bill if she wanted to by adding the plumbers bill for the repair, a new ceiling plastering and painting, Granted she should be allowing you to arrange the rectification, but would you if you were in her shoes, how many times do people post on here unhappy with work done for us to simply say 'kick him off the job'. (Im not implying your some sort of cowboy by the way).

Youd have to ask the plumber why hes cut a hole in the ceiling but im guessing he was trying to do you a favour by not ripping up the new tiles, and hadnt noticed the leaking valve initially so was investigating the pipework under the floor boards, but thats something you'd have to check with him.

Im not trying to be harsh but you've put yourself in a very difficult situation by undertaking the plumbing work, which has leaked no matter how simple it seemed.

Not to mention the damage to your reputation if she decides to shout about this from the rooftops.

If it were me I would be getting the work sorted by a qualified plumber with liability insurance, along with the ceiling repair and taking any money thats left and trying to salvage the situation walking away with a reputation for making sure she was completley satisfied in the end.

 

[mikethetile]

she is entitled to stop the cheque , if the cheque covers the plumbing work then it is now issued for the wrong amount and can be legally stopped

she has also stated she is happy with the tiling and will pay for it less the cost of getting A.N.Other in to rectify and make good

shes not breaking any laws and you will find the law will be on her side in this matter should it go to court

keep communication open, admit your part in it, allow her to get someone in and accept whatever is left graciously

walk away with as much dignity and reputation you can from this matter, you never know , if you do right by this lady it could enhance your rep not destroy it

ps

lose the plumber , your a professional, you dont need to be fire fighting due to someone elses behavior

 

[J.R Tiling]

Hi guys thanks for the responce,

Have spoken to her and she is addiment that she doesnt want my plumber back in and that she want to sort it herself , ive told her i am happy for her to do this.

Am more anoyed as i done the plumbing for her as she said she couldn't wait over the weekend and never told me she had a downstairs toilet she could use.

Have also spoke to the plumber and he said that the leak from the valve was not the cause as ther was a lot of water there and belives this was there before i even started tiling but i have no way of proving this so will just have to take it on the chin !

If its noting else its a lesson learnt and will stay away from the plumbing in future even if i was only trying to be helpfull !!!!!!

She also said that she is more than happy with my work and would be more than happy to recomend me to others and that it just one of those things.

P.s the plumber was also sorting the plasterer so she is getting her own in for that too

 

[peckers]

At least you have spoken to her and you have agreed a resolution to the proble. We have all been there and have had to take it on the chin as you have. Dont forget to get it in writing and a copy of the bill to her from her plumber/plasterer so as you can claim it back as a loss for your work expenses... or get them to bill you direct....