Artificial grass short cut fitting!

tnj75

I paid a company a lot of money to supply and fit artificial grass 4 years ago.  I've had problems with the quality of the fitting, which I called the  company back to fix thre day after fitting, again 2 years later due to join splitting and now because of urine odour.  I asked advice of a local gardener on how to freshen the grass due to dog urine smell! I wash it several times a week trying all sorts of  antibacterial odour wash products,  hot soapy water,  vinegar and water but nothing is cancelling the  smell. The gardener has advised me that the company that fitted the lawn have not done a proper job and nothing I'm doing will solve the issue as the urine is not being able to drain away. They did not dig away deep enough to create a base layer,  they just flattened chipping slates that were already there therefore making it similar to a patio,  obviously nowhere to drain liquid.  I have asked that the company contact me to look into this issue but due to quality of the job from day one I'd rather get refunded and re-laid.  The company have taken extreme short cuts which has ruined the chance to spend time on the  grass due to the foul urine odour. What are my rights?

custardy

After 4 years you expect a full refund? For the lawn not being capable of having a dog pee on it? 

JJ_Egan

OP can this Gardner give a qualified report on the problem .

You may get a percentage refund after 4 years use .

pinkshoes

4 years ago lots of companies were jumping on the laying fake grass bandwagon because there was money to be made.

How long had this company been established? 

You will need to get an expert to write a report stating that it has not been installed properly which has caused it to deteriorate. You will the;need to go back to the company who installed it to seek a (partial) refund or replacement.

After 4 years, it will not be a full refund.

eddddy

 tnj75 said:

The gardener has advised me that the company that fitted the lawn have not done a proper job and nothing I'm doing will solve the issue as the urine is not being able to drain away. They did not dig away deep enough to create a base layer,  they just flattened chipping slates that were already there therefore making it similar to a patio,  obviously nowhere to drain liquid.

In addition to other people's comments above, a lot will depend on what you initially agreed with the company that laid the lawn.

For example, if they just said that they intended to "flatten the chipping slates and lay the artificial grass over it" and you agreed - you have limited grounds for complaint. Essentially, they offered you a 'budget' solution and you accepted, rather than going for a 'top quality' solution.

But if they said things like "suitable for dog owners" or "it will allow dog urine to drain away without smell" or "it will be laid according to the manufacturers specification" - and that is not the case, you might have more grounds for complaint.



Edit to add...

Or if they said nothing about dog urine, but a 'reasonable person' would have expected dog urine to drain away without a smell, you might have more of a case for complaint.

born_again

Our back garden has this type of surface and as you say due to dog's being dog's they pee on it. We have 2.
Ours has been down 2 years and only starts to smell in strong sun.
But have found that Pro_Kleen Multi purpose deodoriser, disinfectant, sanitiser, cleaner & urine neutraliser. Works very well. You just have to make sure it is mixed as advised or a bit stronger. 

It is the sand that it is laid on that holds the smell. 

peachyprice

I'm not sure why you thought an artificial lawn wouldn't start to smell if dogs peed on it. 

photome

is someone taking the pee

4 years down the line wants a full refund!!

paddyandstumpy

photome said:

is someone taking the pee

4 years down the line wants a full refund!!

It's the dog that's been taking a pee, hopefully the OP hasn't been peeing on their lawn!

mattyprice4004

4 years and you want a full refund? You're having a laugh.
Dog pee smells, under fake grass there's nothing to absorb the urine - so it'll smell. 

One of the downfalls of fake grass, and widely mentioned when doing your homework on it before purchasing. 

sheramber

 I found Mistral odour eliminator worked on urine smell  but if the urine has got underneath to the chippings etc you will need to really soak it to allow the liquid to penetrate to them .