Kitchen fitter not honouring quote

John_

If he was saying that he’d forgotten to charge for materials, or his Labour charge had gone up I’d not continue, but for such a small job I’d just pay, but then hold him to the agreed terms for everything else.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Louise__3 said:

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Every case is different, but I would put this one down to a genuine omission on his part. Yes, he said he'd fit 'all the appliances', but - D'oh! - he later realised that one item was 'gas' and was wise enough to not touch this.

It's an 'error'. The question is, what do you do about such an error? I like the personal aspect of his quote; "I will do this, I will do that..." - it's all pretty clear, and you should feel confident about what's covered. So my first gut response is, I'm glad he isn't doing the hob 'cos he clearly ain't GasSafe. It just strikes me as a genuine omission, and one that he brought to your attention right away. As a 'clued-up' customer, I think it would have crossed my mind to wonder who's going to do the gas hob - you haven't mentioned this, and I hope it ain't you... On the other hand, it was mainly his mistake, so perhaps he should swallow it, pal...?

All that work must come to a couple of £k at least? So we are now quibbling over what is likely a 30-minute connecting-up task, costing - ooh - £50 tops? Is this the way you want to start this professional relationship?

If you really begrudge coughing up this extra wee bit, a good approach could be to acknowledge that you understand that 'gas' shouldn't be touched by him, and you do accept it was a genuine omission. However, you were restricting yourself to a tight and fixed budget, so really didn't want additional expenditure; how about we split the cost of the gas hob install 50:50...?

Bottom line - he made an error, a small one, an easy one, BUT he ain't obliged to stick to the original quote; you cannot force him to. He is fully entitled to say 'sorry, if this is what happens with a genuine small error on my part, I think our relationship has broken down so I'm walking...'. It's not a situation you can hold him to. 
. 

I t hink you’ll find you’re wrong there...from citizens advise “ After you say yes to a quote, it’s a binding agreement between you and the contractor, whether it’s written down or not. But having it in writing means you can check what you agreed and prove it if there’s a dispute later.”

my point is, i agreed to hire him based on his overall cost. I had others that were more expensive but based on his quote, went with him. The has fitter is an extra 150, which may be nothing to you but some of us have a budget. In addition to other extra expenses expected wit such works, this all adds up

the relationship is a 2 way thing..if I suddenly tell him I want him to do something else because i forgot to mention it, I expect him to charge me. It makes a nonsense of agreeing to and signing a quote. 

A kitchen is a big expensive project and if it doesn't go well you'll likely be very disappointed with the finished result.

A happy worker is a busy worker and IMHO creating a problem at the start over a small cost isn't the best thing to do for either yourself or the fitter. 

Forget about it and if you are delighted with the job he does then £150 on top might not even cross your mind, if you still feel it's a problem ask if he'll split the difference or knock £150 off the bill. 

Although it is a two way thing and you don't want to be a doormat for lots of added cost here and there this issue does sound genuine and if the guy hates doing the job due to animosity between you it will likely reflect in the quality of his work.  

warby68

Yep, suck it up for goodwill. Were your other quotes less than £150 away?
Sounds like genuine error - just forgot to have the chat about gas appliances. A savvier client might have asked themselves.
A sneakier person would have started the job and dropped it on you in the middle when you were heavily committed. You could back out at this stage.
Hopefully you do actually have some contingency - even quoted for jobs often encounter unforeseen hitches requiring mutual solutions. Especially a kitchen, so many component parts and trades in a small area.
This is something where you have to look at a bigger picture - yes its an extra cost but its not the worst example and a happy kitchen fitter will do a better job than an unhappy one and the end cost v the result should be better. If you think £150 is high then shop around for the job but good plumbers can often call the shots and a one-off small job will be proportionately more than a more complex one - might just charge half a day say even if its 30 mins - you are paying for things other than the actual job at times. Weigh it up.

Mickey666

531063 said:

As above quote was for fitting them, it does not mention connecting them

Good point.  Although a gas safe person is required To CONNECT the gas hob, should the same person actually cut the required hole in the worktop and FIT the hob in place?  Could this whole thing just be a misunderstanding about what FITTING meant in the original quote and that the builder was simply clarifying this before starting the work?   In other words, the builder is NOT £150 up because of not connecting the gas hob, because it was never part of his quote in the first place?  Only the FITTING was included in the quote and that is what the builder is going to do, so the builder IS honouring the quote.

couriervanman

Well if you had a gas cooker before refit  and new cooker is in same place......no need for for gas engineer a competent person can wrap some gas tape around the thread and connect/tighten to the hob then click onto gas valve

Alfrescodave

couriervanman said:

Well if you had a gas cooker before refit  and new cooker is in same place......no need for for gas engineer a competent person can wrap some gas tape around the thread and connect/tighten to the hob then click onto gas valve

I hope you're joking but suspect that you're not. This isn't the same as replacing an electric light bulb, the connection has to be made safely with all the necessary checks

Mistral001

As has been said the quote was revised and by you agreeing for the work to go ahead, you have accepted the revised quote.  If you want to get your own plumber to do the work, then you will have to renegotiate the contract again.    

Ps.  I understand your annoyance with the fitter.  It might be sharp practice and just a way of getting more money out of his customers knowing that if they refuse they will have to go through the hassle of getting more quotes and most customers will just accept it.  But the time to refuse to pay this "extra" is when he first mentioned it and before the job began.  Not when you get the final bill.

Jeepers_Creepers

Yes, I did mean the fitter doesn't have to adhere to his quote - because he can walk away (thanks JIL).

£150 is high for this job. I'm guessing, then, that it's more than connecting a pipe from the hob to a nearby gas pipe, but instead involves running/extending the gas pipe to the new location of the hob first of all? If so, £150 could be reasonable. BUT, this is clearly outwith the fitter's remit; he was very clear in his 'personalised' quote what 'HE' would do, and I think it's pretty obvious that 'gas' - by its nature - isn't part of this.

Louise, I agree it's a bit of a grey area, but I certainly feel that it would be unfair to expect him to cough up for this - for a genuine omission of something that just would not have been covered by him in any case. Yes, he should have added this under 'Additions' or whatever, but shoot the guy for not doing so.

At the very least offer to go halves, and if you don't then - frankly - I hope he walks. 

(Find out what's actually involved, tho' - if it's a gas pipe extension from a different location, then ok. If it's just connect to an adjacent terminal, it's excessive by quite a margin.)

Rosa_Damascena

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Louise__3 said:

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Every case is different, but I would put this one down to a genuine omission on his part. Yes, he said he'd fit 'all the appliances', but - D'oh! - he later realised that one item was 'gas' and was wise enough to not touch this.

It's an 'error'. The question is, what do you do about such an error? I like the personal aspect of his quote; "I will do this, I will do that..." - it's all pretty clear, and you should feel confident about what's covered. So my first gut response is, I'm glad he isn't doing the hob 'cos he clearly ain't GasSafe. It just strikes me as a genuine omission, and one that he brought to your attention right away. As a 'clued-up' customer, I think it would have crossed my mind to wonder who's going to do the gas hob - you haven't mentioned this, and I hope it ain't you... On the other hand, it was mainly his mistake, so perhaps he should swallow it, pal...?

All that work must come to a couple of £k at least? So we are now quibbling over what is likely a 30-minute connecting-up task, costing - ooh - £50 tops? Is this the way you want to start this professional relationship?

If you really begrudge coughing up this extra wee bit, a good approach could be to acknowledge that you understand that 'gas' shouldn't be touched by him, and you do accept it was a genuine omission. However, you were restricting yourself to a tight and fixed budget, so really didn't want additional expenditure; how about we split the cost of the gas hob install 50:50...?

Bottom line - he made an error, a small one, an easy one, BUT he ain't obliged to stick to the original quote; you cannot force him to. He is fully entitled to say 'sorry, if this is what happens with a genuine small error on my part, I think our relationship has broken down so I'm walking...'. It's not a situation you can hold him to. 
. 

I t hink you’ll find you’re wrong there...from citizens advise “ After you say yes to a quote, it’s a binding agreement between you and the contractor, whether it’s written down or not. But having it in writing means you can check what you agreed and prove it if there’s a dispute later.”

my point is, i agreed to hire him based on his overall cost. I had others that were more expensive but based on his quote, went with him. The has fitter is an extra 150, which may be nothing to you but some of us have a budget. In addition to other extra expenses expected wit such works, this all adds up

the relationship is a 2 way thing..if I suddenly tell him I want him to do something else because i forgot to mention it, I expect him to charge me. It makes a nonsense of agreeing to and signing a quote. 

A kitchen is a big expensive project and if it doesn't go well you'll likely be very disappointed with the finished result.

A happy worker is a busy worker and IMHO creating a problem at the start over a small cost isn't the best thing to do for either yourself or the fitter. 

Forget about it and if you are delighted with the job he does then £150 on top might not even cross your mind, if you still feel it's a problem ask if he'll split the difference or knock £150 off the bill. 

Although it is a two way thing and you don't want to be a doormat for lots of added cost here and there this issue does sound genuine and if the guy hates doing the job due to animosity between you it will likely reflect in the quality of his work.  

Agree with this but I would also feel reluctant to proceed based on trust. Is this a genuine mistake? If this chap fits kitchens day in, day out - I am told this is lucrative compared to general building work - I cannot understand the oversight. Gas hobs are still popular, and with good reason. My instinct would not be forgiving here, I see it as a prophecy for things to come.

Doozergirl

Rosa_Damascena said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Louise__3 said:

Jeepers_Creepers said:

Every case is different, but I would put this one down to a genuine omission on his part. Yes, he said he'd fit 'all the appliances', but - D'oh! - he later realised that one item was 'gas' and was wise enough to not touch this.

It's an 'error'. The question is, what do you do about such an error? I like the personal aspect of his quote; "I will do this, I will do that..." - it's all pretty clear, and you should feel confident about what's covered. So my first gut response is, I'm glad he isn't doing the hob 'cos he clearly ain't GasSafe. It just strikes me as a genuine omission, and one that he brought to your attention right away. As a 'clued-up' customer, I think it would have crossed my mind to wonder who's going to do the gas hob - you haven't mentioned this, and I hope it ain't you... On the other hand, it was mainly his mistake, so perhaps he should swallow it, pal...?

All that work must come to a couple of £k at least? So we are now quibbling over what is likely a 30-minute connecting-up task, costing - ooh - £50 tops? Is this the way you want to start this professional relationship?

If you really begrudge coughing up this extra wee bit, a good approach could be to acknowledge that you understand that 'gas' shouldn't be touched by him, and you do accept it was a genuine omission. However, you were restricting yourself to a tight and fixed budget, so really didn't want additional expenditure; how about we split the cost of the gas hob install 50:50...?

Bottom line - he made an error, a small one, an easy one, BUT he ain't obliged to stick to the original quote; you cannot force him to. He is fully entitled to say 'sorry, if this is what happens with a genuine small error on my part, I think our relationship has broken down so I'm walking...'. It's not a situation you can hold him to. 
. 

I t hink you’ll find you’re wrong there...from citizens advise “ After you say yes to a quote, it’s a binding agreement between you and the contractor, whether it’s written down or not. But having it in writing means you can check what you agreed and prove it if there’s a dispute later.”

my point is, i agreed to hire him based on his overall cost. I had others that were more expensive but based on his quote, went with him. The has fitter is an extra 150, which may be nothing to you but some of us have a budget. In addition to other extra expenses expected wit such works, this all adds up

the relationship is a 2 way thing..if I suddenly tell him I want him to do something else because i forgot to mention it, I expect him to charge me. It makes a nonsense of agreeing to and signing a quote. 

A kitchen is a big expensive project and if it doesn't go well you'll likely be very disappointed with the finished result.

A happy worker is a busy worker and IMHO creating a problem at the start over a small cost isn't the best thing to do for either yourself or the fitter. 

Forget about it and if you are delighted with the job he does then £150 on top might not even cross your mind, if you still feel it's a problem ask if he'll split the difference or knock £150 off the bill. 

Although it is a two way thing and you don't want to be a doormat for lots of added cost here and there this issue does sound genuine and if the guy hates doing the job due to animosity between you it will likely reflect in the quality of his work.  

Agree with this but I would also feel reluctant to proceed based on trust. Is this a genuine mistake? If this chap fits kitchens day in, day out - I am told this is lucrative compared to general building work - I cannot understand the oversight. Gas hobs are still popular, and with good reason. My instinct would not be forgiving here, I see it as a prophecy for things to come.

I couldn't disagree more. The person isn't a gas fitter.   Why should they automatically think to include gas?  It isn't logical to assume that someone carrying out general kitchen fitting tasks is going to pay out big sums for regular gas training and insurance for tiny little jobs, when being a gas engineer full time pays better than being a kitchen fitter.  He's been fairly comprehensive with the quote and used the word "I".  

I don't think it's many people's intention to go in and annoy people on day 1 for what could be a matter of £50 for a simple reconnection with the right person. 

If it was sharp practice, he'd say nothing until the end, when asked.  "I only quoted to fit, not connect.  I'm not a gas engineer."  is a lot easier.   As it is, the conversation may well have gone something like that on day 1. A misunderstanding and an oversight on perhaps both parts.  

See it as a prophecy though, and you will find trouble - seek and ye shall find.  Nothing in renovation is guaranteed to be straightforward and easy, because you don't know what you're going to find when you strip something out.  If you assume that every extra is sharp practice, then you've ruined it before you begin. 

Any sign of general mistrust in initial conversations and our company wouldn't be quoting, even.