Badly-fitted fitted bedroom. Help!

seewhatson

Hi. I would really appreciate some advice - urgently! Long-ish story but I'm going to give all the facts.

On 30.10.09, from a seemingly well-recognised local company with several showrooms, I ordered fitted furniture for a loft conversion bedroom - doors to follow shape of eaves in cream glass and cream tracks/trims. I paid £700 deposit by - debit card (very naive I now know). I was given fitting date of 11.12.09.

Aiming for good standard of finish and in order to be decorated well in advance of fitting date, a few days later I started replacing the skirting boards, removing loft cupboard doors for sanding and installing downlighters - so space looked like a building site. With no notification, the company surveyor appeared to measure for template.

Several days later, he re-appeared with samples. said couldn't provide trims in cream to match doors - did I want trims in different finish? I was not pleased but changed order to white trims, doors, tracks, etc. as I wanted everything to match.

Several days later, again with no warning, the surveyor re-appeared with a chipboard template - which was 5 centimetres short!!! He made notes of new sizes. I was starting to lose faith in the co.

Last week painted and had new skirtings fitted by local joiner. While I was at work, a joiner from their company turned up and removed one length of skirting to fit board to wall, did not replace one section and made an absolutely shocking mess joining/splitting the other section. I was furious. Checked order again - noticed it said - all black finish - phoned the co. and was told it was an error but white had been ordered.

Arranged to have Friday the 11.12.09 off work.
Thursday 10.12.09, son at home studying for first exam due on the Friday. He phoned me to say joiners had arrived and were installing the bedroom. I wasn't pleased but spoke to joiner on phone, told him to replace broken skirtings on completion.
I arrived home and inspected the job. It was awful. Doors were terrible quality, protective backing very badly bubbled, eaves shaped ones not on track so very wobbly and gaskets with gaps that were obvious from front, tracks were silver not white, top plinth was out of plumb - cut almost an inch short, doors sticking in places, some minor scratches, screwed to wall with right angled brackets - very, very untidy. Of course skirting not replaced. I was furious.
Phoned showroom and was told joiner would be there next morning.
Friday 11.10.09 joiner arrived - I pointed out all the faults - he said he would replace top plinth - and white trims were ordered, hadn't yet arrived so thay only had silver in van. Told him not to bother fixing plinth only cos I wanted to speak to the foreman.
New tracks in white arrived at lunchtime from door suppliers.
Foreman came out mid afternoon and showed him it all and was angry and wanted him to take it all away and give me a refund cos I was sick of the way they did business. He said track had been fitted in wrong place which was why they were sticking, it was very tricky fixing tracks into eaves shape etc. I told him I wanted him to speak to manager and get a refund arranged as had lost total faith in them.
Later owner of co. phoned - very smarmy - no apology for errors - said it was not off the peg but 'special order'. Talked in circles round problems - told him I was going to leave it with him but wanted them taken out and a refund. He said bad finish on doors was because they should have been double-sided. He said he was going on holiday.....Sun/Mon for 7/10 days..

Sat. a.m. foreman phoned - said prepared to offer refund but would like to remove doors Sat/Sun or Monday to show to supplier (who was travelling one hour to be at showroom on Monday anyway). I said I'd go into shop to have it put back on my card - he said no that owner would refund me by cheque when he returned from hols. Told him I'd have to phone my husband who is working away on shifts. Phoned him back - said I would have to hold onto goods until cheque/refund in my hand. He said he was 'genuinely' trying to help me, the contract said 85% of balance was payable on cancellation of fitted goods and offer might not be available next week when owner returned. I asked him if he could release cheque as owner's stand-in but he said no. He phoned three times throughout the day to enquire if I would agree. Told him no but rep. could visit if needs be.

So I'm now stressed to death over it. Please help.
Do I release them without debit re-credited to account, with promise of cheque?
Can they take the balance out of my account? (ie. £2100)
Do they have entitlement to come back and fix it all - because I never want their shoddy workmen back in my house?
Would I be better then to cut my losses and let them take them with the hope of getting the refund rather than being liable for the balance?
PLEASE advise - I'd be really grateful as I'm really losing sleep over it!

Thanks