carpet nightmare

WeAreGhosts

i think i just need to vent ...

we had a company put down a hallway and landing carpet and put carpet as a sort of 'runner' down an open tread staircase. the fitter from the company measured up and advised us on how to fit the stair carpet.
he spent two afternoons on the job and when he left on the second afternoon [with some stairs still to carpet] we found that it was fitted terribly. the carpet, upstairs and down, had been cut too short and wasn't even sat on the grippers, never mind 'gripped' by them. it could be pulled up at the edges [this despite him saying the landing and hallway were finished]
one part of the landing had been cut way too short and he had cut a little strip of carpet to fill the gap which looked horrendous.
there were nails everywhere holding the carpet down [hessian backed carpet and underlay and grippers = no need for nails, surely?]
the carpet on the stairs were wonky and tbh everything looked like i had done it [and believe me, i am hopeless at cutting things]

we got the owner of the company to look at it and he agreed it was a rough job so we took the carpet and underlay up off the stairs to find the fitter had used some sort of glue which is the stickiest i have ever come across. we couldnt leave it as it was dangerous so we got some sticky stuff remover and spent about 5 hours cleaning the stairs. unfortunately this has brought the varnish off the stairs and has shown up that the fitter has scored the stairs with a blade and has shoved nails in and cracked and chipped parts of the stairs [its a mahogany wood, so he must have used some force!]
the fitter had also glued the underlay down on all the plyboard floors so they were extremely sticky too & not just at the edges but everywhere!!
he has also scored the skirting boards with a blade and they will all have to be repainted as the new carpet is not as thick as the first one.

we have had a refund but no compensation. ideally i would have liked a cleaning company to have cleaned the stairs - i am not just after money ... it was the time we have had to take and the pain it has caused people with arthritic hands and shoulders.
the owner seems to think things are sorted now we have our money back and doesn't seem to appreciate the cleaning we have had to do or the hassle we have had.
we have also had to cancel christmas plans to have elderly relatives over as they cant manage the stairs as they are now.

the owner has been told we are not happy and trading standards have been mentioned. also the fitter is still working for them!

should i write to trading standards?

aggypanthus

If you paid for the fitter direct to the shop, the shop are responsible. Tell them you want to claim on their liability insurance for ALL your losses.Write to them.
It sounds like a terrible mess and the other issues will be covered.

Same if the fitter was paid by you ie, contracted you.. he should have PL ins.

take pics of all the damage.

Marktheshark

This kind of job should have been stair rods if its a central runner.
I would look at getting a real carpet fitter who can hem the edge and use some nice stair rods.
It can be done with gripper, but its a bit of a rough way of doing open stairs to be honest.
They start around a £4 each up to about £30 for real nice antique brass.
The difference in the appearance is class and budget.

WeAreGhosts

aggypanthus wrote: »

If you paid for the fitter direct to the shop, the shop are responsible. Tell them you want to claim on their liability insurance for ALL your losses.Write to them.
It sounds like a terrible mess and the other issues will be covered.

Same if the fitter was paid by you ie, contracted you.. he should have PL ins.

take pics of all the damage.

thanks. have taken pics of when carpet was down and the mess when it was taken up.
i will speak to them tomorrow about claiming. i am having trouble getting the owner on the phone though, might have to write a letter.

Marktheshark wrote: »

This kind of job should have been stair rods if its a central runner.
I would look at getting a real carpet fitter who can hem the edge and use some nice stair rods.
It can be done with gripper, but its a bit of a rough way of doing open stairs to be honest.
They start around a £4 each up to about £30 for real nice antique brass.
The difference in the appearance is class and budget.

sorry, my fault wasnt clear enough. the grippers were on the floors, not the stairs. the stairs just had underlay and carpet on them, and the edges of the carpet turned over.
we are now speaking to another company to have the stair carpet whipped [?] at the edges instead.

aggypanthus

Trading standards,consumer advice dept, would advise how write letter etc.

Its up to you to prove damage. Get estimates for all repair work ready to submit.

I only know this as have personal exp of dealing with loss adustors,
I am no expert lol

let me know how you get on.

WeAreGhosts

getting estimate for repair work -i am not sure who would repair the stairs, or even if it is repairable tbh. i was thinking that a professional varnish might make it look a bit better, but not sure what sort of tradesperson would do that ....

aggypanthus

Maybe start with a decorator, will be experienced in finishing woodwork.may need a carpenter too, if the treads need replaced.



dont worry about that for now, just get a claim letter in then the ins will provide the required trades.