Decorator Problems - Help

mich309

Help!!! Just moved into a new house, and we got decorators in (recommended by estate agents) and have the following problems:

1) they've broken our TV - when we asked them, they said that they would pay under insurance from it, but hadn't been upfront about the damage.
2) they've broken the bath panel - when we asked them, they said it was already cracked and that it's just got worse.
3) walls and wood work have only had 1 coat of paint so patchy
4) radiators have been painted with normal paint
5) lining paper joins can be seen throughout the house
6) drips in paint
7) bad plastering so that you can see trowel marks
8) handles and lights not removed so paint on them
9) paint going over onto woodwork
10) not really cleaned up
11) we were away and they said our alarm was faulty so got a repair done, the alarm worker has since told us it was because they had cut through a wire.

What should we do???? TV is an easy one - they must pay, we haven't paid them yet. What about the rest - should we refuse to pay anything (seems unfair), pay some, or tell them it's got to be put right. I expected a professional job - certainly quoted a professional fee, and feel lost and let down.

My other half hates confrontation and thinks we should just leave it.

Please help with some advice!!!!

phill99

Just to leave it is not the right approach. If they are professional, they will accept your concerns and deal with them. If they are not they will get stroppy and give you a load of !!!!!!!!e.

If you are still not happy, dont pay them their whole fee. Only pay them a fee minus what you think it will take yo put right.

mich309

I guess the concern is the load of !!!!e bit - it's a little scary!

How do I know that I am being reasonable with my criticisms?

thanks

christineperseus

Change lock and alarm codes.

phill99

Its about a sense of reasonableness. Years ago, Lord Denning as Master of the Rolls suggested reasonableness was what the man on the Clapham Omnibus (ie the average guy in the street) would find reasonable.

You aren't professional decorators and you can find obvious fault with the workmanship, thats reasonable.

Remember you hold the trump card ie that you havent paid them yet.

McKneff

See if you can get another tradesman in to give a written report, obviously you will have to pay for this.

Get the boss man back to your house and point out all of these problems.
See what he says.



They must replace or get your TV mended and when you do pay, deduct the cost of the alarm repair from your bill as well as the bill from the other decorator.

Also have a word with trading standards but for petes sake, stand your ground.
They sould like a load of bodgers to me.
And lastly tell your EA what they are like so future customers wont have to go through the same thing.

mich309

Thanks all for the advice, I will firstly convince my boyfriend that we need to stand our ground and then I will get the boss back and point out the problems.

I guess the quality of the finish is what I would expect if I'd have done the work myself (being an office bunny!), but never having had professional decorators before I wasn't sure if I should expect a near perfect finish. You guys have convinced me that I should be expecting more than I have got.

Thank you! Fingers crossed!!!