Faulty new bathtub

charmedsocks

hi all,

In November 2018 we had a new bathroom put in. The bath tub - which is a L-shape shower bath - has developed small cracks in the bottom of the tub, which are filling with dirt and so it looks dirty all the time. And of course its not even a year old

We bought it from Pochins. it was delivered by them and fitted by a plumber/bathroom fitter
it was put in late November 2018.

Pochins are saying the manufacturer will give us a new bathtub as a gesture of goodwill but will not cover re-fitting costs. Pochins will offer us a free bath repair kit which we can use ourselves to see if this helps. Pochins advised us to buy quality brands or you end up buying twice. The irony.

I am not happy with this. I believe the item to be faulty and therefore should be replaced, not out of goodwill, but because its not fit for purpose.
Its likely that some tiles may need to come off and be replaced and the sink unit removed in order to replace the bath. I don't see why we should have to cover the cost when we are not at fault?

I am unsure who is responsible in cases of faulty product when a service is also involved.

I'm on maternity leave and don't have the money the pay for the refit. So not sure where to go with this. I dont have space to take the tub and store it

Am I being unreasonable? Is there anything I can do? Someone suggested try claim on my house insurance but I doubt they will cover it and I don't want my premiums to go up.

Thanks
C

JJ_Egan

See sticky top of page Consumer Rights .
Essentially your rights are against the vendor .
< because its not fit for purpose.>
They can ask you to have this verified by an independant report.

neilmcl

Cracks or are they simply scratches. What have you been cleaning the bath with?

neilmcl

charmedsocks wrote: »

I am not happy with this. I believe the item to be faulty and therefore should be replaced, not out of goodwill, but because its not fit for purpose.

Isn't the result the same, ie, new bath.

charmedsocks

neilmcl wrote: »

Cracks or are they simply scratches. What have you been cleaning the bath with?

They look like cracks. We have been cleaning the bath with a cloth and bog standard bathroom cleaner

charmedsocks

neilmcl wrote: »

Isn't the result the same, ie, new bath.

Yes the end result of the new bath is the same. I just feel like Pochins are trying to not take responsibility even though my contract is with them.

I don't really have use for the new bathtub if I cant have it refitted though.

neilmcl

charmedsocks wrote: »

They look like cracks. We have been cleaning the bath with a cloth and bog standard bathroom cleaner

As it's been over 6 months since you purchased the bath you need to be aware that legally the onus will now be on you to prove that this is a manufacturing fault rather than something you've caused. Your legal rights are with the retailer not the manufacturer.

Where exactly in the bath are the "cracks", near the top, near the plug end or all over?

charmedsocks

neilmcl wrote: »

As it's been over 6 months since you purchased the bath you need to be aware that legally the onus will now be on you to prove that this is a manufacturing fault rather than something you've caused. Your legal rights are with the retailer not the manufacturer.

Where exactly in the bath are the "cracks", near the top, near the plug end or all over?

Thanks. They are about 3/4s down from the plug. Basically they are all at the end of the glass screen where you step into the bath tub for a shower.

neilmcl

Without seeing them I'd be more inclined to think these are scratches from someone getting into the bath with something that could scratch the surface or someone dropping something onto the bath surface. Maybe it was done during the installation and it's only becoming more noticeable as more and more ingrained dirt get's in there.

sheramber

Is the bath properly supported underneath or has it been flexing when stepping in?

charmedsocks

neilmcl wrote: »

Without seeing them I'd be more inclined to think these are scratches from someone getting into the bath with something that could scratch the surface or someone dropping something onto the bath surface. Maybe it was done during the installation and it's only becoming more noticeable as more and more ingrained dirt get's in there.

Thanks for your help so far. I've tried to post the link to photobucket with the photos but as I'm a "new user" (joined 2 years ago) it says i'm not allowed to post links