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We recently completed a kitchen refit and (as expected) there are a few outstanding bits that we aren't happy with. Nothing serious but they are enough for us to be withholding the final payment (just over £3,000).
The kitchen was completed a week or so before Christmas and the company emailed requesting a final payment which I told them I would do only on satisfactory completion. They asked for a snag list and asked when they could come to see us and complete.
We did all this (giving them several times to meet - both daytime, evenings and weekends so lots of flexibility) but that was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing else.
Am I entitled to give them any kind of ultimatum (ie, get it sorted by next week or we'll get it done elsewhere and you won't get any more money) or do we simply have to wait until they turn up?
I suspect that the problem is that the builder/fitter (who was a subby) will have been paid by the kitchen company and they can't actually get him back now.
Thats there problem, theyll either send someone else or want bother and write the amount owing off as a loss but unlikely, or theyll send threatening letters for the cash owing more likely.
Three grand is quite a lot to withhold for snags.
I'd give them a deadline to have it fixed by a fitter of their choice, at which point they ge tthe rest. If they don't do that, get another fitter to do it and pay them out of the £3K and tell the original co they'll get the balance. Maybe balance less 10% for your hassles in having to organise and manage it.
Up to you if you can get a receipt from the replacement fitter for more than you actually paid and pocket the difference......
Three grand is quite a lot to withhold for snags.
It was the final payment to be made on satisfactory completion - it hasn't been satisfactorily completed!
A mate of mine had the same thing. They never did come back. But for several grand he wasn't that upset.
Still no word - and we owe the kitchen company £3,000 and the (self-employed) fitter another load (around £1,000) on top for other work he did for us.
So when do I get to keep the money? I can't believe that neither of them has bothered to chase on this!
I'd keep quiet and get it sorted elsewhere personally.
IF they ever come back - hand them the bill.
Write to them recorded stating you will be getting the snagging completed to your specification in 14 days and the cost of that will be borne out of the 3k unless they make good before that date or arrange to do so. Or something.
Then at least you have tried.
Of course the problem would be in finding someone who will actually be able to do the snagging! Where we live tradesmen are in short supply so to get someone round to do a few bits would be very tricky I'd say – especially as one of the issues is a mechanism in a drawer that isn't working so we need that replacing by the suppliers of the kitchen :-/
I can't be the only one that read this as shagging?
Im with the kept it and just it sorted yourself brigade
but
How comfortable are you if things go wrong down the line.... the kitchen company/Fitter will not be interested to be coming out to you in a years time if they have not seen all their money
That said, .... I'd still keep it... 4k is going to sort most things that might go wrong at a later date
especially as one of the issues is a mechanism in a drawer that isn't working so we need that replacing by the suppliers of the kitchen :-/
Isnt that a quick ebay search to find it and 4 screws to change ... ?
Guarantee you can buy that part on the web from someone else with a warranty.
Probably direct from the manufacturer - have you told them btw of all the hassle?
I'd make sure they knew.
Isnt that a quick ebay search to find it and 4 screws to change ... ?
Probably is - haven't looked too closely at it though.
Strange. As a Kitchen fitter myself I'm sure if I was a grand out of pocket I'd be arranging to do the work or at least making contact asap, in fact, I'd do it for £50.
It could be that the company as so busy at the moment they can't spare anyone to come and do the work, I know we are as I have back to back orders until June already, but a phone call wouldn't be hard to make.
I'd write or email them and give them a date in which to complete the works but inform them that you will sub contract to another party after this date and deduct from the monies owed. This however is not legal advice, just my opinion so I wouldn't spend the money just yet!
If you go down the route of using another party, you should consider claiming for your reasonable costs in finding replacement kitchen fitters
Well here we are, another two months down the line and not a word from either of them.
Bonkers.
When can I spend the money?
🙂
Book the midgets, buy some silver trays and bolivian marching powder and partaaaae.
For them to bring a claim against you statute of limitation applies - 6 years basically. Make sure you record all the issues, calls etc in case you have to fight it later.
Stick the money in Premium Bonds. You can get it out quick and while it's there you stand a chance of a win.
If there are bits that need replacing put the details up on here and I'm sure one of us handy types will be able to get you the right part,
If there are bits that need replacing put the details up on here and I'm sure one of us handy types will be able to get you the right part,
There is only one bit that needs replacing and I can get that from Ebay for £100. Other things are the sort of things that were bugging us but the passage of time means we don't even notice them anymore.
I just remain stunned that they haven't chased on the money. Fair enough if it was a small amount but it isn't - and the builder had out costs too (he paid for a new lintel, some skirting, a subby (plumber) and even paid directly for the works to be signed off (we had an internal wall removed).
I have also been logging the work I have done myself (charging my time at my usual day rate in my line of work - after all, that is what I am 'worth') as well as recording the work/cost we incurred from a plumber who fixed a leaking radiator (the original tried three times unsuccessfully to fix the leak after he fitted it) and to safety check the gas work (if he couldn't stop a radiator from leaking, we weren't confident he could safely install the gas work for the cooker).
I work for a kitchen hinge and runner company and our parts carry a lifetime warranty, might be worth calling the company that makes the hinge?
It will be one of around 4 companies.
Tried speaking to them (PWS) and they said they will only deal with the supplier and suggested I contact them LOL!
(It isn't a hinge, it's a sliding bottle drawer unit like this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171974282638?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT)
A plasterer I used didn't cash the cheque I paid him with for 3 months (he did inform me though so wasn't a shock). Basically some builders are builders not business men so doesn't surprise me they are crap at that side of it. Id expect it might get noticed when they come to sort their books out at tax man time.
Well cheques are a total PITA: You have to drive across town to find a bank that hasn't closed down, find and pay for parking, wait in a queue, get charged for paying the cheque in then wait a week for it too clear.
So they do get forgotten about in wallets. Bank transfer in the 21st century please folk! 🙂
Is it the whole drawer unit or just the runner?
chickenman - MemberWell cheques are a total PITA: You have to drive across town to find a bank that hasn't closed down, find and pay for parking, wait in a queue, get charged for paying the cheque in then wait a week for it too clear.
So they do get forgotten about in wallets. Bank transfer in the 21st century please folk!
I hate cheques too, I was quite surprised when he asked for one as id already got most of the money out in cash. He was an old set it the ways sort so think he just liked the security of it. He didn't own a computer and had an old Nokia phone so bank transfer was a mystery to him!, as I said some people are not businessmen 😉
Is it the whole drawer unit or just the runner?
I'd say the whole unit - despite lots of fiddling with all the adjustments it won't fully close. Checked the set-up against the second one we have in the kitchen and it looks to have been installed in an identical way.
Those things are a right pain to fix if they're installed wrong - the runners have to be fixed in place before the cabinet's put together.
I got a couple from B&Q Tradepoint when they were discontinuing their Clik cabinets. £15 each but once assembled there's no going back.
If you can get the unit out it's worth checking if the runners have been screwed into the right places.
It's not just small businesses. I regularly get invoices months and sometimes years later for goods received in the construction/design industry. It always comes at year end (not always the same year). Yes, we do have to pay it and it's a colossal pain as we're funded annually and the projects get closed on our systems.
We had a supplier send us a bill for something well over a million euros for a project that had been finished, delivered and in production for about 18 months. So about 3 years after their involvement would have been finished and signed off.
They'd even added a nice little note explaining that it'd been a glitch on the system that had caused this over sight etc etc (they were a REALLY big company, losing a million euros wouldn't have even figured on the yearly figures).
Only issue is that we'd only asked for a quote. Then used someone else.
Those things are a right pain to fix if they're installed wrong - the runners have to be fixed in place before the cabinet's put together.
So are you saying that even if I bought a new one, I wouldn't be able to fix it correctly unless I took the cabinet out?
If you have any carpenter friends do as theotherjonv said but have them to write a bill for the full £3000 for the work and then show the other company that the cost of correcting the snags was £3000. Pay the carpenter the normal price and keep the rest. Sorted
You shouldn't have to remove the cabinet!
Just remove the unit and that should leave the runners in place, compare with the one that works and see if they are different.
If not, you probably have a duff runner.
Shame it wasn't BLUM as they have a lifetime warranty.
Swap the drawers over (assuming they're the same size) and see if the problem moves with the drawer or stays with the unit?
(apologies if im teaching you to suck eggs)
If the runners are installed in the wrong place you've only got about 110mm clearance to remove and replace the screws, so unless you've got tiny hands and a full set of dentists' tools it's going to be a bit of a squeeze with the cabinet in situ.
Shame it wasn't BLUM as they have a lifetime warranty.
They have a warranty but the ****ers that fitted them won't come back to fix it!
Swap the drawers over (assuming they're the same size) and see if the problem moves with the drawer or stays with the unit?
(apologies if im teaching you to suck eggs)
I feel embarrassed that I hadn't thought about that...
😳
BigJohn / Gummi / anyone!
Do you know how to release the drawer unit at all? I can see various knobs, dials and buttons and have managed remove the door, but I can get the drawer unit runners to release in order to try swapping them over.
Thanks for any help you might be able to give me.