On Aug 18, 8:54*pm, Martin Pentreath
wrote:
On 18 Aug, 20:14, wrote:
On 18 Aug, 19:49, mike wrote:

I've just discovered that my mother has been robbed *--- sorry, I mean
had her windows replaced --- by those bottom-feeding scum at Anglian.

Dear Mike
It seems to me that you have a considerable number of legitimate
complaints

I am no lawyer but on the basis you indemnify me for any loss by
taking my free advice it is as follows

Since it was replaced a fortnight ago, a triangle of brickwork 12 foot
across by ten courses high has detached itself from the rest of the
wall along the mortar lines. *At its widest, the gap that's opened up
is 6 to 7mm wide.

It is my suspicion that the original window which was probably wood
acted as the support and that the replacement 20 years ago did the
same
If there is no lintel then they should have either said "Sorry we
cannot proceeed until you put in a lintel" or put in a suitable
replacement window. *As the window is supposed to be a supporting one
(I suspect) the one they *HAVE put in is not fit for the purpose
intended and you should reject it BUT ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED
THAT MY GUESS IS CORRECT
Get in an engineer or surveyor and find out the facts
That sort of failure mode is classic absent or broken lintel

I imagine that, when confronted, they'll say that it just needs
repointing.

Get a surveyor to state what DOES need doing and dont let them even
try to con you with their opinion

Apart from looking crap if the mortar lines vary by up to

7mm, *it seems to me that it needs a lintel installing and rebuilding
properly, and that they shouldn't have let this happen.

Probably right

The original wooden window was replaced with UPVC by a local company
about 20 years ago and there was never any problem with moving
brickwork.

Also, if you rap lightly on the pane at one end, the pane at the other
wobbles visibly back and forth, suggesting the whole thing is as
flimsy as ****.

Add this to your list of complaints of not being fit for purpose

Am I worrying unnecessarily about this

No but I would stop worrying and get on with sorting them out!

or does it need major building work to correct?

I would not call a lintel "major" work!

Is it their responsibility?

Yes on the basis of the facts presented

Is it worth contacting the BCO?

yes

Additionally, around the nine windows and two doors they've replaced,
they've smashed bricks around every single opening.

Insist on the bricks being replaced to standard even if they have to
cut out carefully and put them back to front or have some purpose made

Prior to this,

the brickwork was in perfect condition - 40-odd years old, weathered
but whole and entire. *Now there are great chunks missing out of the
bricks where some ape has used a crowbar.

Wholly unaceptable Take photos asap for the record and the court case
if need be

In some cases, there's a

third of the brick face missing and there're up to half a dozen bricks
damaged round each window. *I can't see any way that these can ever be
repaired successfully.

Why not? you can cut them out and put in new ones or swap them round
or take bricks out from somewhere not important and put them in place
and where it is not in view put new matching ones
Care with a suitable plugging chisel or masonry saw or even Fein
Multimaster should enable this

Sure you could drill them out and find

matching bricks but they'll still stand out. *Is there any way this
eyesore can be minimised?

See above

Again, am I being unreasonable in thinking that you could remove the
previous twenty-year old UPVC units cleanly by simply taking out the
sealed units and unscrewing the frames? *Or cutting the silicone and
putting a hacksaw thru the fixings?

No

They've smashed the granite kitchen window sill that matched the
worktops.

Insist on a replacement that is matching and made to measure

They've also smashed half a dozen bathroom tiles and botched it by
covering the lower half of each side of the window reveal with a bit
of plastic fascia on which you can still see the saw marks.

Insist on replacement of tiles to match even *if it cost them an arm
and a leg
Go for the gonads

The new kitchen door swings shut of its own accord.

measure the verticals or check they have not put on rising butts or
the like

And the completely out-of-place "wood-effect gothic" garage door (the
finish of which looks like it was sculpted by a paralytic chimp) which
was supposed to have darkened windows actually has windows that make
the contents visible to any passing scrote.

This depends on what your mother ordered - she is the client not you
so all this will have to be done by her or with you acting as her
agent
I cannot see recompence for artistic or aesthetic complaints

And I won't mention that they sold a remote controlled garage door
opener to a 75-year old disabled woman who doesn't drive or own a car..

Mmm tricky this
as it might well be useful to her
would not argue this one particularly if she agreed to it

I've just read the "guarantee" she was given *- which is actually an
invitation to be added to mailing lists for everything from pet food
to Anglian's mortage advisory service. *The guarantee is two years
(that's less than you'd get on a ten-quid radio at Aldi) and
specifically excludes things like weather damage (after all who's
going to leave their windows outside?) or settlement. *There isn't
even a postal address - and of course you can't send recorded delivery
letters to a PO box.

Guarantees are all worthless - find out the legal address from Company
House if you are fussed

Obviously, in an ideal world, everyone connected with this company
would be herded into a sports stadium and machine gunned but in
reality what's to be done? *Is there any way of getting redress
against these vermin?

It is called the County Court
Read up on how to sue them

Write a polite letter (no guns) stating you complaints
Get estimates for fixing them
Reject the window outright

Invite them to fix it and absent that within say 2 weeks tell them you
will get someone elseto and sue them in the C court

Draft out a C court summons for the money to get it done and send them
the draft summons and see what happens

If nothing get it done and if your Mum needs to borrow to do it charge
interest as well

Make sure it is not a franchise and that they have assets first

Chris G

This all sounds like good advice to me.

I'd just emphasise the importance of putting everything in writing,
and in particular (as Chris says) explicitly rejecting the faulty
window which they've fitted ASAP. I seem to recall that if you don't
do this promptly then you will be deemed to have accepted it by
acquiescing, which you certainly don't want to happen.

Very importantly, you need to establish immediately exactly which
company the contract was with by looking carefully at the paperwork.
I've no idea how Anglia works. It may be that your mother's contract
was with Anglia itself (Anglia Windows plc, or whatever it may be
called), and they subcontracted it to the local cowboys. That would be
the best situation, because if push came to shove it will be Anglia
you would sue and it will probably have assets and be worth suing. If
it turns out that the contract was with Gaz & Darren (Cowboys) Ltd you
may be on a hiding to nothing. They will be trading behind a limited
company who's assets at best will be a beaten up van and half a dozen
polythene windows minus a queue of other creditors. I would suggest
once you have found out which company the contract was with you get
onto the Companies House website and spend a tenner on a company
search and have a butchers at their latest balance sheet to see
whether they might be worth chasing. The search will also give you the
address of their registered office, which is the address to which you
should send all correspondence.

Cheers!

Martin


Your initial legal threat should be for every penny you can justify or
make them think a sympathetic court might award if youre lucky. And be
sure to include all costs, including legal, and the surveyor/engineer
drawing up of the works to be carried out. Everything, cost your time
too, every detail.

The other point is that since this is a major chain, they stand to
lose a lot more if you shout about it than they would through a court
case, so you may find that your statement of being very peed off and
inteending to post all this all voer the place might actually have
more effect. Standing on the public pavement outside a branch telling
potential customers whats going on is also a very effective way of
motivating a company to address your complaints, can cost them a lot
of business.


NT

PS this info is worth what you paid for it, - but do let us know if
you get arrested