Nightmare - New/Wave Bi Fold Door Install - Please Help

3dogsandacrazyhouse

Hi,

Apologies for the new user status, I seem to have misplaced my login details for my old profile so I have had to re-join and apologies in advance for the length of this post!

we had some New Wave (similar to Bi-Fold patio doors) installed last July by a company we come across at the House and Renovation show at Sand Down Race course. We paid £4000 for supply and fit, signed the contract there and then and also left a 10% deposit.

Install day arrived and unfortunately the doors arrived damaged so we had to wait till the following day for the install as new ones were shipped overnight. On the day of install the fitters arrived much later than expected and finished much later as well which meant by the time they were finished it was dark.

We noticed the following day they had not put any draft excluders in, they had scratched the door frame itself in several places (we have dark grey aluminium) and every panel of glass (4 in total) was badly scratched. We called them and they asked for photos, which we sent through. They agreed to come back and install the draft excluder, they said there was nothing that could be done in regards to the scratches and they were not responsible for the scratches to the glass either as I had signed at the end of the day that all was ok - believe me i kick myself everyday but it was so dark i didn't see anything.

A few weeks later the same installer came out and fitted the draft excluder – now in our house we have several of the canary/internal cameras that film and record which were working at the time of this visit (sadly not working on install day). He was very apologetic about the frame scratches, he thought there was a touch up paint that he could use but there isn’t but that was the least of our worries, we were more concerned about the glass as we had installed external facia lights and when they are switched on it lights the glass up and it looks like a giant etch a sketch!!

While he was there, obviously the whole conversation was captured on our camera system. He apologised profusely for the damage and said that he had an apprentice with him on the day and he had used the wrong mallet when fitting the glass and the mallet had a metal gasket on it which is how the glass was scratched, he has actually scratched the glass of 3 other jobs that week. He also went into detail about how the owner was awful and had vowed to ignore us, how the products were badly made and that it was probable that they would break soon anyway, that if we had bothered to read up on the company before that day we would have seen hundreds of online reviews detailing the same product/customer service dis-satisfaction. But he promised he would go back to the office and inform the company owner who had so far been extremely unhelpful that it was his fault and that he would come back in the following weeks when he had received some training on his new glass buffering machines and see if they could be buffered out and if that didn’t work the glass would be replaced. Well you can guess the rest, initially they gave us a date where he would return to buffer them, we took time off work and they never showed up, this then happened on two more occasions. Now they will no reply to use at all, we have emailed, written etc and no one will talk to us.

Finally I called Direct Line as I had legal cover with them in my home insurance policy, they told me to write to them and request the problems are fixed within 28 days or I would be left with no choice but to file a small claims case. I did this, sent it recorded to each company owner and also the Customer Service Director, yet still no response. The 28 day mark was end of April. Now before you ask why i don't go back to Direct Line, in my quest to save money i switched to Halifax policy and because this happened before my policy started i am not sure if they will help me now?

So my question is this, would you now file a small claims case? Do you think I have a case? Do I have to tell them I have the conversation recorded?
Do I have to replace the glass myself and file for reimbursement or can I get several invoices and file for costs? (I don’t really have the budget left to pay for new glass up front but will borrow it if I had too)
Would you file for the total cost of the doors (£4k) bearing in mind the scratches to the frame, glass damage, cost of my time, days off work and calls/post expense?

I really appreciate you reading my long Monday morning story and any advice or opinions would be gratefully received.

I hope you all have a problem free week!

3 dogs and a crazy house!

inkwat

Apologies if I am going over a step you have already taking, but going straight to small claims is jumping the gun a bit. The first thing you need to do is send a recorded letter to the company advising that you're not happy with the work undertaken. https://www.resolver.co.uk/ might be able to help with this (it's free!).

You could also try for mediation with Trading Standards by going to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service - CACS will advise you on the strength of your case and what to do next - https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/if-you-need-more-help-about-a-consumer-issue/

I'd see what they say and then consider small claims based on that.

m0bov

Log into to moneyclaim online. Upload the video to youtube and put the address in your claim details.

mchandlerhaynes

I also signed up to these doors at the Ideal Home Exhibition. Great salesmen, looks like a great product but oh my, the service is nothing short of shocking.
I advised that the house extension plans weren't even finalised and so couldn't give exact details of what I wanted. They assured me it didn't matter, said that I could have all the time I needed to give them my plans and that no matter what, I wouldn't be out of pocket because I could cancel and claim my deposit (£99) at any time.
Unsurprisingly after reading this, my repeated requests for a refund have fallen on deaf ears. I'm SO relieved we didn't get the doors after reading your reviews.
However, that doesn't help you I'm afraid. I think I would persevere with a small claims court if I were you. You have the video footage to back you up, I can't see how they could possibly win the case.
Good Luck.

photome

mchandlerhaynes wrote: »

I also signed up to these doors at the Ideal Home Exhibition. Great salesmen, looks like a great product but oh my, the service is nothing short of shocking.
I advised that the house extension plans weren't even finalised and so couldn't give exact details of what I wanted. They assured me it didn't matter, said that I could have all the time I needed to give them my plans and that no matter what, I wouldn't be out of pocket because I could cancel and claim my deposit (£99) at any time.
Unsurprisingly after reading this, my repeated requests for a refund have fallen on deaf ears. I'm SO relieved we didn't get the doors after reading your reviews.
However, that doesn't help you I'm afraid. I think I would persevere with a small claims court if I were you. You have the video footage to back you up, I can't see how they could possibly win the case.
Good Luck.

except the OP posted once in April and has never returned (often the case on here)

I think you could count yourself lucky you have only lost £99

is it worth the fight to try and get the £99 back? I dont know

cstreet

I know this an old thread but wondered how the OP was getting on. I find myself in a similar position with this company.

photome

cstreet wrote: »

I know this an old thread but wondered how the OP was getting on. I find myself in a similar position with this company.

The Op hasn’t logged on since the original post

lex2014

My doors were also scratched on installation - just over a year ago. They've barely been used - as the property refurbishment in not yet complete & has been empty since.

I'm unable to open the panes - so really hope you don't experience a similar issue. Received a second opinion from an industry expert yesterday (36 years experience), who was also unable to open them and advised me multiple times that there was a mechanical issue. He advised me to contact New Wave (the manufacturer) and request an on-site visit.
On contacting New Wave - I was informed that there would be a charge for sending someone out because my contract was not with them, despite being informed that they haven't been used and that it's not possible to open the panes.
I requested that the matter be escalated and I was informed that she was the company owner and wouldn't be assisting. She wasn't interested in the fact that i'd spent close to £20,000 on their products (their bi-fold/sliding doors cost approx £10,000) and advised that I deal with the installer (who I am already in contact with) and report the matter to Trading Standards. Confrontational with absolutely no interest in the issue with the product and no offer to assist. Not a company that I would choose to trade with. Generally a manufacturer has a vested interested in ensuring that the source of their revenue is maintained and developed.

Since I posted this review - I've received several aggressive emails from New Wave claiming that it is defamatory, owing to the fact that I am not a direct customer. They informed me that they have obtained my full contact details from the supplier (GDPR?!)
They've also sent a demand from their solicitor for an apology, for the review to be removed and to be paid in excess of £500. Quite bizarre - speechless!!
I sincerely regret making this purchase and will not be intimidated or bullied. I actually did not intend to buy this brand or product and had originally requested that the supplier provide and install Bi-folds by another manufacturer.