What can I do after bad kitchen fit?

fiddle29

Hi, my kitchen and bedroom where fully ripped out after water damage from the upstairs flat. My Insurance Company, Direct Line, have been generally good with what needs to be done but I have had problems with the builders and kitchen suppliers. The work should have been finished by now but it is still ongoing. I have just popped up to my property this morning and my heart has sank. The kitchen I picked is nice and so should have been the worktop but there are a few issues. Firstly, one drawer doesn't open properly as it is scrapping against the oven, a corner cupboard has been so badly designed it is difficult to get into it and the worksurfaces are very poor. One thing I kept harping on about was the worksufaces and kept quering have a square edged one due to edging not being sealed but was assured this would not be the case, however, along off it I can run my nail in between the join and there are parts that are scrapped. I know there has to be compromise in places but my old kitchen was immaculate after 10 years and as I said I did on numerous occassions say to the builder and kitchen supplier that I would be very picky about the work surfaces. There is paint along the wall cupboards. So what rights do I have about the design, poor surfaces and bad decorating. Oh, they've also not protected my living room wooden floor when all the work was being done. Thanks.

InsideInsurance

Are they Direct Lines appointed people or did you chose them?

If it is DL then register a complaint with DL

If you selected them then they were your choice and you have to deal with them directly

fiddle29

They are Direct Line appointed.

InsideInsurance

fiddle29 wrote: »

They are Direct Line appointed.

Then as I say, DL have responsibility for the job they do and so complain to DL if you arent happy with it.

*Scarlett

If you have no joy with the contractors then follow the complaints procedure through D//L.

Your insurance should put you back in the same position you were before the insured incident ie a a good fully working kitchen - not with scraping drawers and gappy(?) worktops.

InsideInsurance

*Scarlett wrote: »

Your insurance should put you back in the same position you were before the insured incident ie a a good fully working kitchen - not with scraping drawers and gappy(?) worktops.

Normally Home insurance is on a New for Old basis not indemnity and so should really be putting you back into a better position than you were before as it'll be a brand new kitchen/ more modern appliances etc rather than the 10 year old things the OP had prior to the claim.

fiddle29

My Insurance claim has more or less gone well but the final stages are holding things up. My kitchen was replaces after water damage and also my fitted wardrobes. However, I am in constant dispute with the builders who are doing the work. (They are the builders supplied by my Insurers). I was supposed to be moving back today but my wooden floors where not protected throughout so there deep scratches, paint and plaster over them. Also, in the kitchn the work surfaces are scratched, uneven, a drawer can open properly because it hits against the cooker and a cupboard won't open wide because it hits against the extractor. Doors have chunks out of them and so does panelling.

I met with the builders boss today and was told 'you are just being picky!' After a heated discuss it has been left the have another day to sort problems out.

I have been talking to my Insurance company to sort this out all out but I know there will be still issues and am at a lose as to how to argue my case back especially to builders who are sloppy. I have tried to be understanding on some matters but I getting upset not.

Any guidelines would be great especially dealing with builders.

InsideInsurance

Builders arent my area of expertise.

With the insurers, send them an exact list of all the problems, ideally with photos. Tell them that needs to be put right as caused by their builders/ poor workmanship

eddddy

Hi fiddle29

Your contractual relationship is with the insurers not the builders, so as InsideInsurance says, raise your complaint with DL.

It is also likely to have more impact, as DL may be giving the builders a number of jobs, and the builders will want to keep their relationship with DL on good terms.

Gra76

Builders are my area of expertise (our company used to work on the Direct Line builders panel until they cut the contractor numbers right down a few years ago but we still work for plenty of other insurers direct and the process is pretty much the same across the board).

Your first port of call is with the builders who did the work. It seems they're not very forthcoming in agreeing with you by the sounds of it, so your next port of call is with the assessor who should have been assigned to visit you from Direct Line when you registered the claim.

Ask them to attend and put your issues to them. If they agree with you then Direct Line will go back to the builders who did the work and they'll have to do it again, or they may use another contractor to do it for you (which they will recover the costs from the original builder).

As for the marks in the floor and the paint/plaster, the original builders should have protected all access paths to and from the kitchen which they were going to use so this should also be remedied by the original builder. Again, if they don't and Direct Line agree to cover it for you then they may get another builder to do it for you and the same as before, the costs will be recovered from the original builder.

If you don't have an assessor appointed to you from Direct Line (I'd be surprised if you don't as it sounds a large enough claim to warrant it) then go to the complaints dept at Direct Line and log a complaint with them. That'll get things moving.

If all else fails there's always the ombudsman but that can be long winded so use it only as a last resort.

InsideInsurance

Gra76 wrote: »

If all else fails there's always the ombudsman but that can be long winded so use it only as a last resort.

It can only be used as a last resort. The Ombudsman cannot be involved until the insurer has had an opportunity to resolve it and either (a) hasnt resolved it to the satisfaction of the insured or (b) has had 8 weeks since the complaint was first made