not sure what to name this ....

lilibet1

Hi there everyone
I wonder if you could advise me please.

I had a new bathroom fitted in November (loo, bath, shower and basin) and had the bathroom decorated at the same time by the same company.

The decorating is dreadful which I or anyone could see and they are coming back to rectify that. But....the question i need help with please is the following

"when i clean the basin, i spray on the cleaning product then use the shower head(stretch it over from the bath) and rinse the cleaning stuff off. When i do this there is a leak from the taps. Now they have been out 4 times to try and rectify this and today they came to my house and told me that I shouldnt get water by the taps as the taps arent designed to get water on them and that i shouldnt be using the shower to rinse when cleaning and they cant do anything to solve the problem"

They said they will re do the docorating but nothing whatsoever they can do about the taps...i asked about getting the bath taps wet as i do the same thing when cleaning the bath and they said the same!! They said that when you have a shower in theory the taps dont get wet.

Then a heated debate took place and I got frustrated with the man who came round and he said that i was with holding payment from them when the work was guaranteed for 12 months anyway, i explained that they had been out 4 times and not solved the problem and explained that i was not refusing to pay so he then insisted on taking me to the bank to get the money out. The total bill is 1910.oo and i gave him 1500.00 and said i would pay the rest when the job was completed but he is insisting that nothing can be done about the leak.

Am i being unreasonable or is it true that you shouldnt get taps wet? I have never ever had this problem before in any other property I have lived in.

Please help me...

Lili xxx

maninthestreet

Taps are designed to get wet - they wouldn't be much use otherwise.

shaun_from_Africa

If you know the manufacturer of the taps, why not send them an e-mail asking their advice and also see if they will send you some installation instructions.

I've never heard of taps that are not sealed either around or under them to stop water going through the fitting holes, as it's obvious that this area will get wet, either during use or during cleaning.

McKneff

Could you ask a local plumber to have a look before you do anything.

Then come back here for advice.

lilibet1

well you would think so....but they are very adamant that these taps arent allowed to get water on them. What would you do??
x

lilibet1

sorry i replied before reading other replies. Yes there is a seal around the taps as when they came out the 3rd time the engineer said it wasnt fitted properly and apparently re-did it. Really not sure about this one as i havent heard anything like this before x

VfM4meplse

lilibet1 wrote: »

so he then insisted on taking me to the bank to get the money out

This sounds very heavy-handed, did you go voluntarily?

arcon5

lilibet1 wrote: »

well you would think so....but they are very adamant that these taps arent allowed to get water on them. What would you do??
x

If you have exhausted their complaints procedure then you would need to have an independant specialist write a report for you. Then submit it to them and insist they remedy the situation.

At present though you are in a reasonable position, having not paid the full balance yet. If they won't remedy it and you have given them ample opportunity, you could get another company to complete the work - deduct the cost from the outstanding balance and pay whatever is left to them. They could take you to court, but you would simple show your report and evidence you tried to resolve it with them, they would have a very weak case.

lilibet1

thankyou everyone, my husband has now come home and phoned them and left a message asking them to come round and show him what they mean about not getting the taps wet. Im going to phone the manufacturer tomorrow and ask for there advice. I did go to the bank voluntarily as they were saying that i was withholding payment. My dad and husband are a bit annoyed with me for doing that but i didnt like the man coming round when i was on my own like that.

Im normally quite able to deal with these things but i have no idea about plumbing:) xxxx

arcon5

I'd email the manufacturer and enquire about the product and what happens if they get wet - may take a little longer to get a reply, but you will then have it in writing.

shaun_from_Africa

but they are very adamant that these taps arent allowed to get water on them

Yes there is a seal around the taps as when they came out the 3rd time the engineer said it wasnt fitted properly and apparently re-did it.

So they stated that the taps aren't designed to get water on them, yet they fitted a seal which is designed to stop water getting through the mounting holes.
Why bother if there shouldn't be any water there in the first place.

Personally, I think it's a case of the either the taps not being fitted correctly, or simply not being suitable for the bath. ( I don't know, but maybe some sinks and baths have different size holes and only certain taps will fit correctly).