AO.com ruined my kitchen laminate. Their claim process.

UKTelecom

Not sure if we are allowed to name and shame retailers (mods feel free to blank out if so) but I purchased a washing machine around 6 weeks ago from AO.com and I also paid for them to install it.

Anyway I realised a couple of days ago that water was (seemingly out of the blue) pooling around the edge of it, underneath the washer - the washer is underneath my kitchen units in a tight (ish) space that you cannot see behind.

After drying it, the same pool of water gathered the next morning. I called them out (AO) as they again installed it, and the guys pulled it out to find that the whole floor underneath was drenched. It had caused the surrounding laminate to bow and it has also caused damage to the wall behind.

The assessment by AO was that the people that installed it (again their own people, AO) had not connected the water pipe properly - and that pipe had likely been leaking gradually since it was installed

To the credit of the people who made that assessment they were straight on the phone to the relevant department and they said it was the fault of the AO installer, said the floor needed replacing. I am now in their own claims process - hopefully for them to foot the bill.

I need to fill out a questionnaire that asks questions such as when did I notice the damage, what I did etc. They are also asking for photos, although the AO assessors took their own. They have also asked me to get 2 quotes for the work to be completed on the floor, including an approved supplier of theirs (Carpet Right).

I rang Carpet Right who are coming out to give a quote, but their assessment is that the whole kitchen floor will likely need to be replaced (as you cannot simply colour match the small area that is damaged, you would need to do the whole floor).

So should I hope for or expect a new kitchen floor out of all this from AO? Am I legally entitled to one? Or is that asking too much. Again the people from Carpet Right said they would not be able to just replace the 8ft ish area that is damaged, as they could not colour match the existing laminate (I have no idea where the laminate is from, it was here when we bought the house in the last 6 months).

The big point seems to be I paid for AO to fit the washing machine. Obviously had I attempted to fit it myself I would not have a leg to stand on.

How should I go about getting the 2nd quote? Anything else you would be wary of when filling in this questionnaire?

Sorry for the wall of text! Thank you

AndyMc.....

UKTelecom wrote: »

Not sure if we are allowed to name and shame retailers (mods feel free to blank out if so) but I purchased a washing machine around 6 weeks ago from AO.com and I also paid for them to install it.

Anyway I realised a couple of days ago that water was (seemingly out of the blue) pooling around the edge of it, underneath the washer - the washer is underneath my kitchen units in a tight (ish) space that you cannot see behind.

After drying it, the same pool of water gathered the next morning. I called them out (AO) as they again installed it, and the guys pulled it out to find that the whole floor underneath was drenched. It had caused the surrounding laminate to bow and it has also caused damage to the wall behind.

The assessment by AO was that the people that installed it (again their own people, AO) had not connected the water pipe properly - and that pipe had likely been leaking gradually since it was installed

To the credit of the people who made that assessment they were straight on the phone to the relevant department and they said it was the fault of the AO installer, said the floor needed replacing. I am now in their own claims process - hopefully for them to foot the bill.

I need to fill out a questionnaire that asks questions such as when did I notice the damage, what I did etc. They are also asking for photos, although the AO assessors took their own. They have also asked me to get 2 quotes for the work to be completed on the floor, including an approved supplier of theirs (Carpet Right).

I rang Carpet Right who are coming out to give a quote, but their assessment is that the whole kitchen floor will likely need to be replaced (as you cannot simply colour match the small area that is damaged, you would need to do the whole floor).

So should I hope for or expect a new kitchen floor out of all this from AO? Am I legally entitled to one? Or is that asking too much. Again the people from Carpet Right said they would not be able to just replace the 8ft ish area that is damaged, as they could not colour match the existing laminate (I have no idea where the laminate is from, it was here when we bought the house in the last 6 months).

The big point seems to be I paid for AO to fit the washing machine. Obviously had I attempted to fit it myself I would not have a leg to stand on.

How should I go about getting the 2nd quote? Anything else you would be wary of when filling in this questionnaire?

Sorry for the wall of text! Thank you

Get a second company/tradesman in to quote.

Debbie_Savard

>How should I go about getting the 2nd quote?<

Ask friends/work peeps for names of any local fitters or look in yell.com

>So should I hope for or expect a new kitchen floor out of all this from AO?<

You should expect restitution but not compensation, in other words your entire floor be returned at least the condition it was in before the faulty workmanship, but you can't get a better floor than you started with or money for emotional distress

paddypaws101

Yes it is normal for an insurance claim to result in the whole of a floor being replaced rather than just patched up.