Where do i stand ?

[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....

 

[mikethetile]

pleased you are at this stage with her, it could have been a lot worse, she sounds reasonable

at least she is happy with your work and accepts your not a plumber and you only did it because your plumber let you down

as peckers said weve all been there , I had a plumber cut through live central heating pipes instead of the feeds to the bathroom. that was bad enough but it was the third floor on a house converted to flats so he flooded 3 flats inc the basement, 4 if you count the damage he did to my customers

just when you think things couldnt be worse I find out he has no insurance, mine wouldnt cover it as he had his own business and wasnt my employee

that little episode cost me thousands and took months to complete the redecs . but I got there in the end and saved something of my wrecked reputation

 

[SandyFloor]

Ouch! Mike, that must have been a bad time for you...a really bad time. I'm assuming you always check for insurance now. A very expensive way to learn that lesson though. To be fair to you I've always assumed plumbers have insurance but I'll make sure to check in future.

 

[peckers]

pleased you are at this stage with her, it could have been a lot worse, she sounds reasonable

at least she is happy with your work and accepts your not a plumber and you only did it because your plumber let you down

as peckers said weve all been there , I had a plumber cut through live central heating pipes instead of the feeds to the bathroom. that was bad enough but it was the third floor on a house converted to flats so he flooded 3 flats inc the basement, 4 if you count the damage he did to my customers

just when you think things couldnt be worse I find out he has no insurance, mine wouldnt cover it as he had his own business and wasnt my employee

that little episode cost me thousands and took months to complete the redecs . but I got there in the end and saved something of my wrecked reputation

When using subbys ensure they have there own insurance too.

 

[mikethetile]

ive learnt my lesson on that one

it took a while to sort the work as I had to deal with all their insurerers, the damage wasnt that severe as it had run down the hall walls in each flat , but that meant de humidifiers in every flat and compensation for their leccie bills, then carpet cleaning.no ceilings were down so it was make good and redecorate. I was shocked at how much it had cost when I did my return

under the circumstances I was able to write it off as a business expense, but at the time I thought I was finished and would never work again

one of the insurers put me on their list of contractors and sent me on jobs from time to time

talking about checking for insurance also get them to sign a disclaimer to say they are not claiming unemployment benefit but thats another story

 

[Mike]

he don't sound like a competent plumber. if he tells you the service valve is leaking , surely it can only be the olive? why would it need changing?