Furniture

Slickhills

I bought some wardrobes from a large furniture vendor last Jan 2015 at a cost of more than £7k (several bedrooms).
After the initial design (Feb 2015), I changed (upgraded) the type of doors for £600 extra.
When the survey was done, the surveyor found that the design that I bought didn't work and had to be changed making the design simpler.
Nothing further was discussed about the extra costs.
The installation was frankly a nightmare and it took multiple visits from installers and area managers to get to a resolution. In the mean-time, there were holes left in walls and lots of days needing to be taken off work to wait in for all of this to happen.
Along the way, I had to sign docs relating to 'site surveys' and 'agreement to pay the outstanding balance'. In each case, the outstanding balance did not include the extra £600. I figured that this was due to a simplification of the design.

Finally, in July/August 2016 (can't remember the exact date) the work was completed (holes were still in the walls... although I didn't care - I just wanted the installation finished!).
I called up the large furniture vendor and paid *all* of the outstanding balance on my account as the work was complete. At this point both the vendor and I were happy that my balance was zero.

Now, in Feb 2016, they've sent me a demanding letter asking for the £600 saying that I still owe them money and given me only a few days to pay.

If I need to pay the £600 - and I'm not sure that I do as the design changed - it seems like they 'forgot' to invoice me. They are now chasing me many months after I pro-actively settled *everything* outstanding.

Question:

Let's assume that they made a mistake with invoicing, can they change the price some 6 months after I have paid the final invoice from them and had agreement that my account was clear?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

marliepanda

If they have undercharged you by £600 then they have 6 years to chase for that.

You need to discover if the upgrade and then simplification still cost £600. What was the 'upgrade' was it a quality thing or a look thing? If you still got the upgraded function/quality but with a different design then you still got that upgrade?

I assume the simplification wasn't just 'downgrading' the £600 upgrade, or you'd have said.

wealdroam

Slickhills wrote: »

Let's assume that Sharps made a mistake with invoicing, can they change the price some 6 months after I have paid the final invoice from them and had agreement that my account was clear?

No, they can't - unless there was a mistake on the invoice which a reasonable person would've clearly seen.

In other words, if you paid their invoice knowing that it was mistaken, then it is likely that you still owe that £600.

I suggest to you that each time you had to 'sign docs relating to 'site surveys' and 'agreement to pay the outstanding balance'', you breathed a sigh of relief that you seemed to have got away with it.

As said above, Sharps can chase you for up to six years for the payment.

Slickhills

Correct - the upgrade was a different design of doors... the simplification was a reduction in complexity of a set of cupboards - ie. fewer drawers/shelves.
It's just odd that all of the invoices and signed papers didn't have any additional charges... and that I openly offered to pay anything that was due at the time the work was completed. Now, 6+ months later they have decided that I owe them...
It's like - if you went to a shop, asked the price, paid the price they told you... left the shop with the product... you wouldn't accept them coming after you saying that they got the price wrong... you paid the price they invoiced in good faith. Unreasonable?

marliepanda

Yes but you asked for a £600 upgrade.

You then, I assume, had discussions back and forth with the simplification.

Did anyone at any point say 'right, with these simplifications the £600 upgrade price is no longer applicable.' ?

I'm assuming not, therefore the 'agreed' price is still the originally agreed price plus your £600 upgrade. If you think that the simplified upgrade is not worth £600 then thats something you need to discuss with the company, albeit its a bit late now.

Your example doesn't really work. If you asked a shop for 100 bottles of ketchup, own brand, and they said sure thats £100. You go actually, lets go with Heinz, and they say no problem thats £150. You go get your Heinz bottles, get your invoice and it states '100 x ketchup, - £100' and you pay, knowing they actually quoted your £150. Thats not 'paying in good faith' in fact its pretty bad faith. You knew they had quoted you £600 more.

Whilst I agree there were some changes, did you not ask when you got the invoice 'oh what about the £600 upgrade for the doors, why isnt this on here?' or 'this invoice only has the original charge for the doors but I got an upgrade, is this correct?' or did you just pay and think youd saved £600?