Homebase Kitchen Installers are Rogues

Football_Geek

I purchased a kitchen from Homebase. It was installed by Homebase kitchen installers.
I purchased it on interest-free credit in January 2013 on a Homebase offer via Barclays Finance.
There were a number of problems with the installation. This included the installers caused a gas leak in my property which could have killed me. They also left the kitchen in a mess. They walked off items from my kitchen. They did not remove all the fittings from the old kitchen. They damaged a piece of equipment which stopped water flow from the taps in the bathroom.
As the male installers were leaving, they asked me to sign a form to say the job had been completed. As a single woman on her own, I felt I had to sign the form just to get them to leave.
I immediately contacted Homebase to inform that the service was unsatisfactory. I asked for their head office address so I could make a formal complaint. I received an email from Homebase in January 2013 acknowledging my complaint but they later denied receiving any communications from me.
In March 2013, in absence of any response from Homebase, I got in touch with Barclays Finance stating how much I would pay(which is nearly all of it) and asking them to recover the rest of the money from Homebase.
Since then, I have also taken out a court claim which has cost me a fair amount of money so far. I am willing to pay for the kitchen supply and most of the cost of installation. I think this is very reasonable. I don’t understand why Barclays Finance are not trying to recover the rest of the money from Homebase. I thought they act like a credit card company would. The payment is due this month. Has anyone had similar experience that they could share?
Emotionally, it has been an exhausting year worrying about this and constantly writing letters to Homebase, Barclays Finance, solicitors at Barclays Finance, the CAB office and processing the court claim. It is unlikely, I can pay the last £160 to take this to court. I feel the attitude of Homebase, “well, we have a signed form to say you are happy, so we will ignore everything else you have said and won’t bother responding,” to be exceptionally poor customer service.

DevCoder

If youve already spent money on the court action why arent you seeing it through? Otherwise you are just wasting money. I assume you have filed it with the smal claims (MCOL) ? If so have homebase defended the claim?

did you put your complaints to Homebase at the time of them occurring?

Football_Geek

krisdorey wrote: »

If youve already spent money on the court action why arent you seeing it through? Otherwise you are just wasting money. I assume you have filed it with the smal claims (MCOL) ? If so have homebase defended the claim?

did you put your complaints to Homebase at the time of them occurring?

I paid £120 to small claims so far. I would need to pay another £160 to get a court date,which I don't have a budget for.

Yes, Homebase have defended the claim but their claim is a pack of lies.

For example, they claimed that I never wrote to them about my complaint. I have proof that they received my complaint because I got an email from them back in January 2013.

Another one of their lies is that they are stating that I am trying to claim for the full price of the installation, which is absolute nonsense. I am trying to claim for part of the installation costs. I have a breakdown of the invoice which proves that the amount that I trying to claim for is part of the installation costs.

Yes, at the time the work was carried out, I complained to Homebase.

I have an email from Homebase customer services confirming they received my complaint, despite Homebase completely lying about this in their response to the court claim.

Homebase customer services are in a complete mess and their attitude is "they can't be bothered". Homebase are rogues.

DevCoder

How much are you claiming?

I think its a bit mad to pay £120 and if your evidence is as you say it is then to give up and waste that money and time.

did homebase at anytime respond to your complaints or put the issues you raised right?

mo786uk

are yuo suing homebase or barclays? if you had started suing barclays you might find they put pressure on homebase to sort it out

Football_Geek

Krisdorey, as stated above as well as the £120, I would need to pay another £160 to take it to court. A total of £280 is too expensive for me.

Mo786UK, I am suing both Barclays Finance and Homebase, because they are both jointly liable. Barclays Finance have been in touch with Homebase asking them to resolve the oustanding isues but Homebase did n't bother to respond. I was advised that Barclays would put the pressure on Homebase and if they did not do anything they would recover the rest of the money from Homebase.

I was advised that they work in the same way as a credit card company would do.

However, Barclays finance have failed to reply to any of my written communications since August 2013. The payment is due this month. Do I need to pay the full amount, and if so why?

Football_Geek

Homebase have had 12 months to resolve the issues. Barclays Finance have had 9 months to resolve the issue with Homebase.

I've spent a year writing letters and emails and making phone calls. I can't believe any large organisation like Homebase can operate in such an incompetent manner.

jenpoptrash

I had a very similar experience with Homebase regarding a bathroom installation, also since Jan 13 and I was seeking the installation cost back from them rather than the credit card company ( didn't buy on finance) . I got it back in the end. It was a long battle but I did. Still got an ongoing issue about the electrical work and the fight goes on.
If it helps I can forward you the correspondence to look through. Homebase said i'm only the 3rd person they had to refund like that - I doubt it.
I feel for you though, the strain it put on my family was horrendous

Football_Geek

jenpoptrash wrote: »

I had a very similar experience with Homebase regarding a bathroom installation, also since Jan 13 and I was seeking the installation cost back from them rather than the credit card company ( didn't buy on finance) . I got it back in the end. It was a long battle but I did. Still got an ongoing issue about the electrical work and the fight goes on.
If it helps I can forward you the correspondence to look through. Homebase said i'm only the 3rd person they had to refund like that - I doubt it.
I feel for you though, the strain it put on my family was horrendous

Yes, Jenpoptrash. Thank you for your posting. I would very much like to see/hear more about your correspondence.

Payment is due to Barclays finance this month. I don't want to pay the full price of installation.

However, I am worried if I don't pay the full amount, Barclays finance may start charging me interest. The interest rate will be very high.Can Barclays finance do this?

What is the best course of action? Do I pay what I feel is owed(which is most of it) and write to Barclays finance again to ask them to recover the rest from Homebase?

I am genuinely sick with worry. I can't even properly sleep.

wealdroam

Football_Geek wrote: »

However, I am worried if I don't pay the full amount, Barclays finance may start charging me interest. The interest rate will be very high.Can Barclays finance do this?

If you have agreed to it, then of course they can.

Read your finance agreement.

Almost certainly it will say something like "if you don't pay the full amount before the end of the interest free period, then not only will they charge interest on the outstanding amount, but they will charge interest on the full amount from the day the purchase was made".

But I'm guessing... you need to read your agreement.

mo786uk

Just pay the bill but be sure to sue Homebase for every cost possible - it is what the court system is there for.