New house, burst pipe

ConsumerWarrior

My removals company installed my washing machine into our new home but didn't check that the old cold feed flexible hose left connected by last owner was in good condition.
Result, the flex pipe burst soon after and we found almost impossible to isolate the valve.
Called out an emergency plumber . cost over £300.
Should I claim against the removals company, house insurance or accept it as my fault?

davidmcn

Not sure why you'd have any claim against the removals company. They're not plumbers, and even if they were, the hose apparently only burst afterwards. How were they to know its remaining lifespan? Did you ask them to make any checks?

EachPenny

ConsumerWarrior wrote: »

...and we found almost impossible to isolate the valve.
Called out an emergency plumber . cost over £300.

Hopefully the emergency plumber showed you where the stop [male chicken] for the whole house is located and how to turn it off in case of future emergency.... the very least they could do when they are ripping you off to the tune of £300 for something as simple as turning the water off.

pramsay13

Don't think you have a claim against removal company.
You probably could claim against your house insurance although excess for escape of water is likely to be around that or more.

Carrot007

ConsumerWarrior wrote: »

My removals company installed my washing machine into our new home but didn't check that the old cold feed flexible hose left connected by last owner was in good condition.
Result, the flex pipe burst soon after and we found almost impossible to isolate the valve.
Called out an emergency plumber . cost over £300.
Should I claim against the removals company, house insurance or accept it as my fault?

Quite frankly I find it preposterous that a "removals" company fitted your washing machine. Was it some sort of special contract? If so you may have some comeback.

However if just done as a courtesy. Most would just dump it for you to sort out. Then you have nothing as they are not plumbers. Did you not bring your hose's with you? Who leave hoses anyway? people that know they are crap I would think.

Davesnave

People like you are the reason many trades don't do favours, if the work is out of line with their speciality.

davidmcn

Carrot007 wrote: »

Quite frankly I find it preposterous that a "removals" company fitted your washing machine.

Why "preposterous", especially if they had disconnected it at the other end? The one and only time I've used professional movers they reconnected my washing machine (as well as helping with the disassembly/reassembly of some furniture). "All part of the service", even if they're not contractually required to do it.

Though I would normally expect the hoses to go with the machine rather than hope that the new place has spares.

glasgowdan

Sounds like a consumer warrior looking for another victim to do battle with!

The company that did it had to obligation to check over the condition of your plumbing system did they? What if the leak came from further up the system, would they still be in your sights?

Any time I have fitted a new washing machine/dishwasher it has came with a new set of pipes in the box. Why didn't you use them?

ConsumerWarrior

Davesnave wrote: »

People like you are the reason many trades don't do favours, if the work is out of line with their speciality.

It was part of the deal but I'll have to check the wording on my contract, may have just been a verbal.
If you took your car in for a new tyre and the fitter found the brake pike leaking after removing the wheel would he not tell you even though its not in the contract?

LandyAndy

ConsumerWarrior wrote: »

My removals company installed my washing machine into our new home but didn't check that the old cold feed flexible hose left connected by last owner was in good condition.
Result, the flex pipe burst soon after and we found almost impossible to isolate the valve.
Called out an emergency plumber . cost over £300.
Should I claim against the removals company, house insurance or accept it as my fault?

ConsumerWarrior wrote: »

It was part of the deal but I'll have to check the wording on my contract, may have just been a verbal.
If you took your car in for a new tyre and the fitter found the brake pike leaking after removing the wheel would he not tell you even though its not in the contract?

Hardly the same is it?


I don't believe, and neither do you, that the removers left a pipe they knew was leaking. Equally your tyre fitter isn't going to say 'check that pipe later, it's fine now but it could spring a leak'

Davesnave

ConsumerWarrior wrote: »

If you took your car in for a new tyre and the fitter found the brake pike leaking after removing the wheel would he not tell you even though its not in the contract?

Yes, I'd hope to be told if the leak was obvious, but according to your post, the leak occurred "soon afterwards."

It would have been nice if the removal person had told you that the hose looked worn, but that wasn't in their brief, and none of us respondents knows if it did or not.

In any event, there is no law against lack of initiative.