What kind of compensation should I expect from this workman?

[reastie]

This seems a very small and unimportant question given a look at the thread titles of others , but any opinions would be gratefully received.

We had a shower put in in January of this year. Long story short it leaked and after second visit to attempt to repair it I went upstairs after workman had gone to find a big scratch in our loo seat. What's all the fuss you're probably asking, but, this is quite a posh mahogany loo seat and our loo is an odd shape so can't have the regular homebase style seat (we have one of those victorian style loos with a high cistern). DH and I estimate a new seat to fit this loo would be in the region of £100 . The scratch isn't just a surface one, it goes into the wood IYWKIM. There's also quite a bit of scuffing but we can put up with that - it's just this big (maybe 15cm) scratch that is so obvious that we feel really about.

Workman claims he can't see how he did it (there is no way anyone else could have btw) but is hopefully going to come and have a look. DH and I think it's where he left his tool box and scratched it that way. So, what can we, if anything, expect from him? Do we push for a new seat or just be lucky if he tries to make it better with some kind of filler or whatever or a bit of cash towards a new one? This seat is quite old, but was looking v good before he made it look so rough.

To put this in context - if this was the only probalem we had with the shower instalation we probably would ignore it but we have had alot of problems including a leaking shower with a big water mark in our downstairs ceiling which we have to sort out ourselves, the water tank cracked after he installed the shower and he claimed it was nothing to do with him so we had to fork out over £500 for a new one. He said it was all limescaled up and that was the reason for the crack but when it was removed it wasn't , he left some rubbish from the job in our loft without telling us, he tried to forefit responsibility initially of the shower leak being anything to do with the shower at all and there is some scuffing on our beautiful antique roll top bath goodness knows how he did. So, if this was in isolation fair enough, but all these issues make us feel like this is one too many and we want some kind of compensation! Just wondering what is reasonable.

apologies of relatively minor and mediocre question

[reastie]

bumping in the hope...

[SpottyFrock]

I don't think it sounds relatively minor at all. His work sounds very shoddy tbh. Was he recommended to you? Is be a member of the master craftsmen thingy? I think you should explain how much they cost and ask him to meet u half way if not the entire amount. Sorry not to be more helpful just didn't want your post to go unanswered.

[reastie]

thanks spotty was starting to feel a little lonely . This workman has done work in the past for us at our old house and been really top notch so not sure what has happened - either he's not interested/bothered any more or the fact we employed him via a bathroom shop (as it seemed an easier way of doing things at the time) as opposed to directly through him.

[etiquettegirl]

Just wanted to point out that membership of the 'master craftsmen thingy' doesn't guarantee anything. They have no teeth. In the end, it all boils down to whether the person you employed to do the work has standards, is so mortified they caused damage to something in your home, that they'll put it right without question. Because, you and I would, wouldn't we?

What we are finding out is that the law in the UK does not protect consumers from rogue tradesman. Membership of 'this and that' is hogwash.

[reastie]

Interesting etiquette - I had not idea

[Vibratingforfun]

If you employed him via the bathroom shop did you pay them for his services? If so they might be liable. Did you ask your insurers about the leak and associated damage?

[reastie]

yes we paid bathroom store not workman but all the problems we've had the shop just refer us to ring the workman directly like it's our business to sort it out with him not them which tbh I'm quite surprised by. We haven't spoken to insurers as the ceiling as the damage is (luckily) in a storage hall by the downstairs loo, but it's still really obvious in there.

[HopeEternal]

reastie, I'm fairly certain from what you say that your contract is with the bathroom shop. Don't let them keep fobbing you off.

[Vibratingforfun]

If you paid the shop (and they paid the workman) you have a contract with them. Try Trading Standards.