B&Q tile dispute please help!!!

phill99

robrebrab wrote: »

I'm certainly not trying to defend B&Q at all costs here,.

Not much...!

phill99

And why blame the tilers? If it was a supply and fit contract then they have a liability. But there has to be an assumption on labour only contracts that the goods supplied are fit for purpose. Either B & Q are negligent for supplying goods that are not up to standard or the home owner has not checked the tiles properly.

iamcornholio

The OP, (and any customer) has to be responsibile for his own actions

He is responsible for checking the tiles prior to fixing. If there are problems then they need to be sorted out before the tiles are used - not afterwards. It can not be expected for the supplier to be responsible for the tiles once they have been fixed. Once fixed, the tiles are deemed accepted by the customer

It's not about B&Q or the customer, it's about common sense.

youcef_2

common sense?? sorry mate but I am not a tiler and went into the store and asked advice about what i was buying and sort assistance from the "highly trained" staff as and when i could track one down and at no point did they refer me to the batch numbers or anything written on the boxes in microscopic writing otherwise known as the instructions in 8 visits to the store.

youcef_2

I had no choice but to get evidence to prove what he said to me, as Head office now are accusing me of lying, NOT NICE.

robrebrab wrote: »

Just noticed as well that you say that you recorded the Tile Manager in a conversation. This is illegal if you do it without getting his permission before starting the recording,and I can't for one minute think that they would agree to this.

Somerset

You learn something every day. I've bought tiles out of B&Q and never had any idea I had to check batch numbers. I just bought X boxes, assuming they'd all be the same.

iamcornholio

Paint, wallpaper, carpet, cloth, tiles, bricks anything really ...... if you are buying more than one item/pack then it's generally accepted that you need to match batch numbers or mix the items from a few packs in order to achieve consitant colours, or to achieve a random mix where colours vary.

If you are not an experienced tiler, then it would be reasonable to assume that you either get professional advice (as to suitability) which is what the supplier [B&Q] would provide, and then you either get more professional advice (as to installation) or read instructions or contact the manufacturer.

You can't expect B&Q to give you a complete run-down of everything you need to know about tiling - that is where the customer takes responsibility, and common sense or "reasonableness" comes into play

Alan_M_2

I'm an ex tiling contractor, there is a precedent (legal) that covers these issues.

For that reason the packaging on all these tiles will carry a disclaimer about making sure batches are checked and matching and that no claim will be accepted once the tiles are fitted.

As the fitter I would expect to check the batches before/as we fitted no matter if we supplied or not, it's standard practice for a professional company.

If these were supplied by a tile wholesaler it would be their responsibility to make sure the batches matched.

However, here's the issue, you have bough the tiles from a DIY supplier...it's the Y bit here that changes things. Yourself. You are responsible for checking that the batches match, in the same way you'd be expected to check the batches of wallpaper if you were buying from the same store.

Your tilers should have checked the batches before/as they were laying the product. You actually have more of a case with the tilers than B&Q IMO.

You won't get a chargeback via VISA for this, the goods were supplied as described and are fit for purpose, you feeling that they don't look nice is not grounds for a chargeback claim. You failed to check the batches matched, that's not B&Q's responsibility or remit.

Seems harsh I know but that's the "legal" position you find yourself in. You'll not get anywhere with your current line of enquiry I'm afraid and you wouldn't get anywhere with this legally either.

Colour_Republic

Alan M said it all and I don't think you'd find a 'Professional' tiler that would disagree with him. It is a basic requirement of the tiler to check batch and shade numbers.

Tiling is a specialist trade but many people assume there isn't much to it and will always have a go with varying results.

To all DIY tilers out there I would advise you to do a little bit of research into the trade should you wish to undertake tiling. You maybe surprised at the knowledge required to complete a job sucessfully.

For example there are weight issues of tiles on certain substrates,
Deflection issues with floors,
Many different types of adhesive for different applications, even more so with large format tiles (ready mixed tubbed adhesive should not be used) and natural stone,
Primers (not to be confused with PVA which should never be used for tiling)
and much more...

electromagnet

I am a Professional Tiling Contractor.
If the different tiles came in the same boxes but had different batch codes i dont think you have a leg to stand on and they will say its up to the fixer/installer to check the codes to see if they are all the same.

Im sure if they had the same code numbers you would be fine. Buy unfortunately this kind of thing happens all the time and the company will say " proof of the batch numbers being the same is required"!

I would send a letter to B&Q and hope for some complementary vouchers.:)