Tanner-'op wrote:
SNIP

All correct procedures up to now!

And then you spoil it!!

Then this morning when fitting the bath, I noticed a crack on one
corner - it had obviously been dropped onto that corner to cause the
crack.
I should have rang them to change it, but luckily the crack could not
be seen when fitted, so I stuck some epoxy round it, and it should be
OK. Then the bath panel - another crack in a corner.

So why didn't you report those faults?

Because B&Q would take a week to sort it out, leaving Alan with no work for
several days (and therefore no wages) and the customer with no bath.


Now, what if another, more obvious fault develops in the bath (or
your 'repair' fails and the bath ultimately leaks), just how are you
going to manage to convince B&Q to replace it after your bodge-up -
or explain what you did to your client - presuming of course that you
are warranting the job and will attend any complaint of defective
workmanship?

I don't know Alan apart from his posts here, but he seems like an honest
man. I'm sure he would not have installed the bath if he thought there
would be a future problem.

If there was one fault, it could be excused, but these faults have
driven home to me the point of never buying a bath suite from B+Q

But surely that doesn't exonerate you from a 'duty of care' to your
client?
More to the point, you have driven home the fact that you are
prepared to 'con' your client by knowingly fitting a defective unit
and then hiding that fact - and have the nerve to charge for the job.

You seem to have a problem with the self employed tradesman - where you
bitten by one as a child?

A reality check.

The villain of the piece here is B&Q plain & simple, aided and abetted by
the client buying cheap. Alan is the poor ******* stuck in the middle.

Lets assume that Alan allowed 3 days to do the job. He finds on day 1 that
the bath has a minor fault, B&Q can't sort it for a week.

No fault of Albans, but he now has 2 days with no wages. The client isn't
going to want to pay him, B&Q sure as hell won't pay him (although they
should). So he has lost two days money.

He now has to re schedule whatever jobs he has on for next week in order to
return & fit the bath. The customers won't like that & may cancel. Alan
loses more money through no fault of his.

unless you give it a really good inspection at the store - I wouldn't
trust their delivery staff at all.

Well, you are not exactly trustworthy are you?

How do you know that? He may well have discussed the problem with the
customer & gained his/her agreement.

So, tell me how you would react in this situation; You employ Alan to
install a bathroom you have purchased & the bath is faulty, so Alan can't
install it. Alan would be quite justified in presenting you with a bill for
the 3 days he has allocated for your job since he is probably unable to
mitigate his loss. Are you prepared to pay him & reclaim the money from
B&Q?

All insults will be ignored.

I'm starting to be able to spot potential arseholes like you and simply turn
down the work.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk