Plumber doesn't reply back after leaving us with a botched job

[mlruirod]

We had a plumber fitting a shower pump a few moths ago. We had recently moved to a house in which the shower pump that was already fitted wasn't working. The hot water pressure was really bad so we looked for a plumber to fit a new shower pump. The plumber highlighted that the work done previously in the bathroom was really bad (I don't understand but I guess it has to do with the pipes going up to the loft).

Anyways, he recommended a pump and fitted it charging us £600 in total.

The pump was working for a while however it would take around 5 seconds or more for the water to come out and we had to open cold water first to make it come out faster. After a while the water has totally stopped coming out so we can't use the shower at all.

I have been trying to reach him, leaving a couple of voice messages and a private message on his Facebook page since the 10th December but he hasn't got back to me yet.

Should I worry about this or should I give him more time?
I understand Christmas period is a difficult time but we are unable to use the shower and just want some reassurance from him that he will look into it when he can.

Thank you in advance,

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Sounds like the wrong pump has been installed

 

[king of pipes]

Post some pictures of the work carried out please

 

[SimonG]

Got any pics? As above, sounds like wrong pump.

 

[Deleted member 120897]

I’m not au fait with pumps, but could it be that the cold water storage cistern has been running empty?

 

[SimonG]

I’m not au fait with pumps, but could it be that the cold water storage cistern has been running empty?

Probably a positive head pump fitted when it needed a negative head pump.

 

[Deleted member 120897]

Probably a positive head pump fitted when it needed a negative head pump.

Thank you for this

 

[Ric2013]

Personally, I'd be concerned if a customer of mine were having problems with one of my installations even if it were over Christmas. I don't agree a sole trader should be off-radar entirely even when on holiday (ideally you'd team up with another plumber to cover such eventualities) and I would expect to have to deal with something like this if I were in the area. Especially as it seems unlikely he'll be on holiday already on the 10th December.

However, it's possible he won't reply to voicemails for a couple of reasons:

1 is people often don't switch their answerphones off and then don't listen to messages either ('Oh, did you leave a message? - I never listen to them!'). Really poor in my opinion and should be punishable by an afternoon in the stocks, but so so common (I lose track of the number of times I've begged my mother to ask her phone provider to switch her voicemail off if she refuses to listen to messages, but it's been 5 years and she still 'hasn't had the time' to do it).

2 it's possible he may be stuck abroad and so won't ring you back because he doesn't know what it's about.

If you are using Facebook to contact him, are there clear indications he is currently using Facebook? If you contact me by Facebook, you may have to wait a few months, but then I'm old school and usually answer the phone or reply to texts (and I don't have an answerphone). I liked the old days when if someone was at home they answered the phone and if they weren't then you just kept trying.

 

[SimonG]

Personally, I'd be concerned if a customer of mine were having problems with one of my installations even if it were over Christmas. I don't agree a sole trader should be off-radar entirely even when on holiday (ideally you'd team up with another plumber to cover such eventualities) and I would expect to have to deal with something like this if I were in the area. Especially as it seems unlikely he'll be on holiday already on the 10th December.

However, it's possible he won't reply to voicemails for a couple of reasons:

1 is people often don't switch their answerphones off and then don't listen to messages either ('Oh, did you leave a message? - I never listen to them!'). Really poor in my opinion and should be punishable by an afternoon in the stocks, but so so common (I lose track of the number of times I've begged my mother to ask her phone provider to switch her voicemail off if she refuses to listen to messages, but it's been 5 years and she still 'hasn't had the time' to do it).

2 it's possible he may be stuck abroad and so won't ring you back because he doesn't know what it's about.

If you are using Facebook to contact him, are there clear indications he is currently using Facebook? If you contact me by Facebook, you may have to wait a few months, but then I'm old school and usually answer the phone or reply to texts (and I don't have an answerphone). I liked the old days when if someone was at home they answered the phone and if they weren't then you just kept trying.

It's a confusing one the point you raise, I both agree and disagree. Especially this time of year.

I finished on the 22nd, sole trader, theres no lads I know who didnt do the same, and came back today.

I had the usual messages on Boxing day, need an estimate for a bathroom, when you back at work I've a dripping tap (been dripping 2 months) and need it sorting asap, boiler needs a service etc etc.

Then customer I did an install for about 5 years ago, their second home, cottage in the sticks. Came up 27th, haven't been up for a couple of months and well aware the battering the area took from storm arwen, gives me a call at 7.45pm. I answered, boiler not working, need me there now or in morning. The response was simple and calm. I'm not coming tonight, or tomorrow or in fact till after new year. You have wood burning stoves in living room and bedroom and the unvented cylinder has an immersion. You can cook, get warm and have hot water which is not enough to disrupt my well earned break. He agreed, they've gone home today and I'm going up later this week to sort.

Work wise I did nothing from the 22nd till today, partly because I left most of my tools on site, ooops, where I was working.

There are a few customers I would have gone out for over the holidays but not a random customer who couldn't get hold of their usual person.

But this thread sounds like the original guy is just avoiding op because he knows hes fluffed it.

 

[Ric2013]

It's a confusing one the point you raise, I both agree and disagree. Especially this time of year.

Doesn't sound like you disagree, Mr Shouty, as we're saying much the same thing. To not answer routine calls is quite understandable and people shouldn't even be ringing you really. Agree with what you said to your customer of 5 years ago and, in any case, if it needs parts they aren't going to be available over Christmas anyway.

But I think both of us would have been much more likely to try to help out a customer who is having problems with something we had installed recently and the failure of which has apparently left a customer without a working shower.

 

[SimonG]

But I think both of us would have been much more likely to try to help out a customer who is having problems with something we had installed recently and the failure of which has apparently left a customer without a working shower.

Mr Shouty

The bit I was disagreeing was the help from a fellow sole trader, summer hols then yes but Christmas I dont know any that work.

Yes definitely, even if in the first instance it was to call in on the way home and see what the problem actually is, installer issue or material issue.
But in this case I dont think christmas comes into it, hopefully I'm wrong but i cant see the original installer fixing/helping with this one.

 

[maruirod]

Got any pics? As above, sounds like wrong pump.

Post some pictures of the work carried out please

 

[maruirod]

Thank you for your reply.



I have just checked his FB page to see if he has been using it recently. It seems he doesn't use it much but his last post was on 23rd December to thank customers and wish them a good festive period. I messaged him privately on the 11th December but I only got a autoreply message saying he'll get back as soon as he can.



I will message him again tonight and will try to call him again tomorrow when I find some time at work... I don't want to be annoying but I feel he should have got back to me by now, even if it was to just say he will be off or will get back to me when he is less busy?

 

[SimonG]

Looks like wrong pump, did he re pipe it?

That's as rough as a badgers do da.

I honestly dont think you will be hearing from him. Cheapest wrong pump he could find.

 

[king of pipes]

Sorry to say but that's a bodge job and no respected plumber would leave a job like that it's not installed correctly . Kop

 

[maruirod]

Thank you for your reply.



I have just checked his FB page to see if he has been using it recently. It seems he doesn't use it much but his last post was on 23rd December to thank customers and wish them a good festive period. I messaged him privately on the 11th December but I only got a autoreply message saying he'll get back as soon as he can.



I will message him again tonight and will try to call him again tomorrow when I find some time at work... I don't want to be annoying but I feel he should have got back to me by now, even if it was to just say he will be off or will get back to me when he is less busy?

 

[maruirod]

Looks like wrong pump, did he re pipe it?

That's as rough as a badgers do da.

I honestly dont think you will be hearing from him. Cheapest wrong pump he could find.

Sorry to say but that's a bodge job and no respected plumber would leave a job like that it's not installed correctly . Kop

That's very disappointing... I have left a voice message this morning again, I will give him some time to reply and will try again if he doesn't.

Would it be worth it to take him to a small claim court if I don'thear from him?

As we are new to the area we found difficult to find a plumber who wanted to do the job (a few didn't bother to have a look at doing it, give a quote or said they were busy and one plumber specifically said he wouldn't do this job (and we really appreciated the honesty) because apparently the previous job done to the bathroom is not good (I believe it has to doneith the way the pipes are set up but I have no idea really).

We have also a bath in another bathroom but the hot pressure is really bad in there too and whilst it's being okay to use it while the shower doesn't work it's far from ideal as showering instead of bathing is really difficult in there.

I'm getting a bit desperate to be honest and don't know what to do...

Do you think this water pressure issue is something that can be fixed easily?
Would it be a good idea to advertise the job in the forum?
Would chaging the boiler system to a combination system help improving the water pressure?

Thank you for all your replies, really appreciated

 

[SimonG]

What's your location? Maybe somebody on here might be close enough to help.

 

[king of pipes]

You need to give him the chance to make good his bad work but if he's not answering your attempts to of contact then its your choice of which way you go a lengthy legal case will take months and months with COVID with no guarantee of a good out come , I'd personally get another plumber to put the work right and send him the bill with a strong worded letter and at least try and get some money refunded . Kop

 

[maruirod]

You need to give him the chance to make good his bad work but if he's not answering your attempts to of contact then its your choice of which way you go a lengthy legal case will take months and months with COVID with no guarantee of a good out come , I'd personally get another plumber to put the work right and send him the bill with a strong worded letter and at least try and get some money refunded . Kop

What's your location? Maybe somebody on here might be close enough to help.

That's a very good advice. I will keep trying and give him a couple more weeks and if I don't hear back from him then I will look at getting someone else and maybe post the job in the job section of this forum as I found so many helpful people!

If he gets back to me and comes to fix the problem, is there anything specifically I should ask him to look at or change?
You said that was the wrong pump, do we need a negative head pump in stead?

Thank you very much, you have been very helpful.

 

[king of pipes]

I've looked through some of my photos from past installs these help you understand better how a shower pump should be installed the hot water supply to the pump needs to be via a Essex flange fitted in the top of the cylinder this avoids air entering the shower pump the cold supply is taken from the cold water storage tank to the cold side of the pump. Kop

 

[king of pipes]

Surrey flange can also be used

 

[Ric2013]

...and there are other acceptable methods. The point is there must be a dedicated and air free source of water for the pump, usually in 22mm pipework.