Evening all
Ok here goes. I replaced a leaking pump under a bath a couple of months ago. The original job was a complete bodge, directly under the bath taps meaning that if there was a problem with the taps or they needed to be changed, pump was in the way. Flexis, plastic, push fit everywhere. No isolation valves. I took the old pump out, fitted 2 brand new lever valves first thing, resited the new pump (Stuart Turner Showermate) down the other end of the bath, repiped everything in copper, pulled bends etc. The idea being that any future problems down the line with either pump or bath mixer taps, both would be easily accessible.
Next day I get text message, there's a dent in my bath. How did that happen, I ask myself seeing as I was working under the bath. Go round and have a look. There's a warped section on the curved (tap end) of the bath and underneath a section of fibreglass has been damaged by the heat from me soldering (didn't even realise this the night before). So I put my hands up to it, say I'm really sorry about this, I'll get it sorted for you.
This lady in question who I did the job for, sends a message round to my friend who got me the job with a link in it saying to him "This might help". The link is a link to a bath ie. The same bath as she has I presume and its £160-£180 quid, I can't remember. In other words, she wants a new bath.
I have another idea. I exchange emails and texts with her and ask her is she open to the idea of the bath being repaired by a professional repair company. She says yes. I go round and take pictures (I'll put them up after, some of them might seem familiar, I put them up on Facebook on one of the groups). I send them off to 2 or 3 companies explaining how the damage had been done, is the damage repairable and how much to get it fixed. Magicman reply back to me and say yes we can fix this for 280 quid. I get onto her (she's been CCed into all emails) and she agrees. Magicman want their money upfront, I pay it, they send me email confirmation of payment, I give them her details. Take it from there, I think, problem now finally sorted, expensive for me of course but these things happen.
She gets back to me a while later saying I've heard nothing from these people. I'm polite and diplomatic, I say I'll get onto them. They get back to me saying they left her a voicemail message on such and such a date. I forward their replies onto her. All this is being done by email now so up to this point is all one long thread. I ask to be updated on works etc seeing as I've paid for them.
She rings me one the evenings last week. "Unfortunately it's bad news" she said. " The guy came out and said he couldn't do the repair, he said he needed to cut a hole in the bath and Id be better off getting a new bath". Naturally I'm fuming, I said Ok, they'll probably ring me tomorrow, I'll see what they say and get back to you.
Next day Magicman call me. They offer a refund minus yesterday's callout fee which is £50 + vat. I said I'm not having that, you guys said you could repair it and you took my money upfront. Not having it. The girl on the phone said she'd call me back. She gets back to me and clarifies Our man could have and was willing to make the repair. The customer refused.
So I text her and tell her what Magicman have told me and just to clarify Did you refuse the repair? She said yes because she was never told there'd be a hole cut in her bath and if she had shed have never agreed to it. However this is completely different to what she told me on the phone the night before. Lie number 1.
Anyway I get back onto Magicman the next day again and say, I'm not happy here, you guys said you could make the repair. According to the customer, your guy told her that the integrity of the bath be compromised etc. Now I'm going to be down 50 plus the vat here and we're no closer to a resolution.
Credit where credit is due. Their technical director, the one who would have looked at the photos originally got on the phone and offered me 2 options 1) A FULL refund or 2) They return to do the repair but either me or someone representing me is there as a witness to see that the repair is carried out to a full and high standard and there's no confusion over what is said. Can't get much fairer than that, hats off to them. I relay this information back to the lady asking her is she willing to give this a second chance.
Well she spoke to them today alright. Their technical director called me today and said despite him explaining to her in full what the full process of the repair would be, they would be repairing the bath out of the exact same thing it's made of in the first place ie. Fibreglass, they repair baths all over the place every day of the week and their reputation is everything.....she was having none of it. She was refusing the repair, she screamed down the phone at him to refund me my money. She said I told her to call them and demand my money back. That's Lie number 2. He said to me he would have no option but to give me a full refund (fair play to him again) and there was no way they could do this job for this lady now.
How I feel is.....well I feel like telling her to sod off. I haven't heard from her yet but I know I will. She wants a new bath and on top of all that, tiles are going to have to come off and be redone aswell. Do you guys think I've been reasonable enough in offering to get it repaired and should just leave it at that?
Phew! Thanks in advance for any replies
Ok here goes. I replaced a leaking pump under a bath a couple of months ago. The original job was a complete bodge, directly under the bath taps meaning that if there was a problem with the taps or they needed to be changed, pump was in the way. Flexis, plastic, push fit everywhere. No isolation valves. I took the old pump out, fitted 2 brand new lever valves first thing, resited the new pump (Stuart Turner Showermate) down the other end of the bath, repiped everything in copper, pulled bends etc. The idea being that any future problems down the line with either pump or bath mixer taps, both would be easily accessible.
Next day I get text message, there's a dent in my bath. How did that happen, I ask myself seeing as I was working under the bath. Go round and have a look. There's a warped section on the curved (tap end) of the bath and underneath a section of fibreglass has been damaged by the heat from me soldering (didn't even realise this the night before). So I put my hands up to it, say I'm really sorry about this, I'll get it sorted for you.
This lady in question who I did the job for, sends a message round to my friend who got me the job with a link in it saying to him "This might help". The link is a link to a bath ie. The same bath as she has I presume and its £160-£180 quid, I can't remember. In other words, she wants a new bath.
I have another idea. I exchange emails and texts with her and ask her is she open to the idea of the bath being repaired by a professional repair company. She says yes. I go round and take pictures (I'll put them up after, some of them might seem familiar, I put them up on Facebook on one of the groups). I send them off to 2 or 3 companies explaining how the damage had been done, is the damage repairable and how much to get it fixed. Magicman reply back to me and say yes we can fix this for 280 quid. I get onto her (she's been CCed into all emails) and she agrees. Magicman want their money upfront, I pay it, they send me email confirmation of payment, I give them her details. Take it from there, I think, problem now finally sorted, expensive for me of course but these things happen.
She gets back to me a while later saying I've heard nothing from these people. I'm polite and diplomatic, I say I'll get onto them. They get back to me saying they left her a voicemail message on such and such a date. I forward their replies onto her. All this is being done by email now so up to this point is all one long thread. I ask to be updated on works etc seeing as I've paid for them.
She rings me one the evenings last week. "Unfortunately it's bad news" she said. " The guy came out and said he couldn't do the repair, he said he needed to cut a hole in the bath and Id be better off getting a new bath". Naturally I'm fuming, I said Ok, they'll probably ring me tomorrow, I'll see what they say and get back to you.
Next day Magicman call me. They offer a refund minus yesterday's callout fee which is £50 + vat. I said I'm not having that, you guys said you could repair it and you took my money upfront. Not having it. The girl on the phone said she'd call me back. She gets back to me and clarifies Our man could have and was willing to make the repair. The customer refused.
So I text her and tell her what Magicman have told me and just to clarify Did you refuse the repair? She said yes because she was never told there'd be a hole cut in her bath and if she had shed have never agreed to it. However this is completely different to what she told me on the phone the night before. Lie number 1.
Anyway I get back onto Magicman the next day again and say, I'm not happy here, you guys said you could make the repair. According to the customer, your guy told her that the integrity of the bath be compromised etc. Now I'm going to be down 50 plus the vat here and we're no closer to a resolution.
Credit where credit is due. Their technical director, the one who would have looked at the photos originally got on the phone and offered me 2 options 1) A FULL refund or 2) They return to do the repair but either me or someone representing me is there as a witness to see that the repair is carried out to a full and high standard and there's no confusion over what is said. Can't get much fairer than that, hats off to them. I relay this information back to the lady asking her is she willing to give this a second chance.
Well she spoke to them today alright. Their technical director called me today and said despite him explaining to her in full what the full process of the repair would be, they would be repairing the bath out of the exact same thing it's made of in the first place ie. Fibreglass, they repair baths all over the place every day of the week and their reputation is everything.....she was having none of it. She was refusing the repair, she screamed down the phone at him to refund me my money. She said I told her to call them and demand my money back. That's Lie number 2. He said to me he would have no option but to give me a full refund (fair play to him again) and there was no way they could do this job for this lady now.
How I feel is.....well I feel like telling her to sod off. I haven't heard from her yet but I know I will. She wants a new bath and on top of all that, tiles are going to have to come off and be redone aswell. Do you guys think I've been reasonable enough in offering to get it repaired and should just leave it at that?
Phew! Thanks in advance for any replies
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