"Supply and Fit" windows- should include labour, yes? (Humour me please)

ChasingtheWelshdream

This is a very strange question, but we've just had a final bill for some work and I need a sanity check before I go back and query it. We are very happy with the quality of the windows and quality of work, so no dispute there.

However, the original quote said "supply and fit", whereas the invoice now has several hundred £££ added on top for labour.

We did change the specification of the product between the original quote and delivery, and the price of this was agreed (via text*) before the order was finalised. This shouldn't have changed the labour/fitting at all, it was just the colour from the manufacturer.

Am I wrong to assume "and fit" should have included labour? The workmen did have an issue with some of the glass being supplied incorrectly, and subsequently had to return another time to finish off, but I (perhaps wrongly) assumed this would not be at detriment to ourselves. There was no mention otherwise, and the original quote does state that extra costs would be discussed before proceeding. 

I have drafted an email asking for clarification, but before I hit the button, I'd just like opinions in case I'm being a bit, well, dense.


* The original quotes were via email, but we communicated through texts when the fitter was updating us. We approached the window company originally, who then nominate work to a local fitter, who then measures up and quotes. 

As always, any and all thoughts are welcome. :-)

Soot2006

I've always paid the exact quote for supply & fit windows, no extra charges.

In fact, I thought they'd overcharged me and wrote a strongly worded querying email only to find out I'd incorrectly read the final invoice. Eggs ,,,,

TELLIT01

"Supply and fit" means all material and labour so there should be no additional labour charge.  If extra work was required due to the wrong glass being provided that is their problem, not yours.

Jeepers_Creepers

Any chance of a look at the original invoice, with supplier details scrubbed if you wish?

And how much extra was the change of colour, if anything? (What was the actual colour change?)

The issue with the wrongly-supplied glass is, as you say, now't to do with you.

Is there any chance that the final bill just itemises the labour charge separately, and that it was always this actual sum, and the increase in the total bill is down to the colour change?

Ant555

the term Supply and fit is just that - a full service option.

If the local fitter was the one that measured up then you are not liable for problems in the supply of the windows.

We used a local family firm and one window arrived wrong - the son of the '&sons' business told us that his dad would be hopping mad with himself as that was the most expensive window of the lot and it was their fault as they measured it.  They came back and sorted but it didnt cost us any more than agreed.

It would be interesting to see what the reply is.  My guess is that it has cost the boss more as the staff had to return and pay them an extra days wages and he has simply tried to pass that on, now that you have mentioned it, they will hopefully say 'sorry, that was a mistake'

The only way I can think of that an additional charge wold hold water is if you failed to do something that was agreed or did something to prevent them from finishing in the required time - ie they couldn't get to a side window because you didnt move the caravan as arranged and they had to come back another day etc.

ChasingtheWelshdream

Thanks all, I've sent a politely worded reply reiterating that we are very happy with the products/fitting and the additional cost of the spec itself (agreed as xxx), but in light of the original quotation stating "supply and fit", we would like clarification over the labour charge.

 
Jeepers, to answer your question, but I'd rather not scan the invoices in.

The spec was changed to a non-standard colour to some areas, which were down to miscommunication at the outset. We have no issue with this and I was happy to pay for the upgrade.

However, when it came to fitting the window furniture, the handles turned out to be incompatible (chosen from the same supplier, so we were surprised it hadn't been raised before). Although disappointed, we chose replacements from their catalogue, which were another £40. This has also been broken down to 4 times that amount, even though the supplier is only 5 minutes away and had them in stock, so I would hate to think we've been charged labour to swap/collect them....



 Quotation:
 " Supply and fit XXXXX (specified finish) with XXXX fittings (specified), total £XXX.

Anything found once uncovered that is not quoted and incurring additional costs will be discussed prior to work being carried out"


Interim text: "I have had confirmation the additional spec will be £480, is this OK?" (My reply: That's fine, please proceed. To confirm, the spec is xxxxx"


Invoice:
"Original quotation of £XXX, but due to change in items originally requested the price difference is as follows - please see breakdown.

Window cost: £XXXX (Note from me, This doesn't equal the original quote + £480, it's slightly less which I have also queried)
Additional fittings: £XXX (4 times the price I expected from the supplier catalogue we were shown)
Labour: £XXX


As I say, we are chuffed with everything in itself, and I don't want to diddle anyone out of money or sour relations. But if the fitter insists the labour was always on top, I'm not sure where we go. It will certainly rule out the additional work we wanted to get done later in the year. 

To clarify, the window company (well regarded), nominate a local approved fitter to measure, fit and invoice. We pay the fitter directly, not the window company (not sure why). This fitter did mention it was the most expensive job he'd completed to date and he'd been worried about it, so it may well be it took much longer than anticipated. Whether the incorrect glass was a manufacturer or measuring error I've not been told, but I agree that shouldn't be down to us. 

It may not be relevant, but I have been chasing the invoice for a while now, conscious I need to settle up. The last communication was along the lines of "don't worry, I'm just waiting for confirmation of the additional changes you made - eg the colour and fittings". I was slightly surprised, but thought there may well be a difference of a few pounds perhaps).

Jeepers_Creepers

"Supply and fit" is the opening comment in their quote.

End of.

Almost certainly they have just made a mistake. Any attempt at claiming additional labour is wrong.

The window spec was changed - this was just colour, yes? There was nothing more complex about the 'changed spec' windows? In any event, they confirmed the additional cost would be £480, and not "£480 plus £x labour..." so they are stuffed.

I really hope it was a simple error and they apologise immediately, 'cos anything less will leave a bad taste. And you don't want your lovely new windows tasting bad.

TELLIT01

It would seem that the work took longer than expected and they are trying to pass the cost on to the OP.

doningtonphil

What was their original "supply and fit" price?
You have advised the spec change was agreed at £480.  So what was the Grand total you were expecting to pay?

How does this compare to the Grand total on the invoice?

You mentioned that on the invoice the 'window cost' was less than you expected.  Is it the case they have just split out the labour cost because they will be paying that to the 3rd party fitter but the grand total is the same?

ChasingtheWelshdream

Yes, just a non-standard colour applied, nothing else for the windows themselves. 

The window furniture has definitely been massively inflated from the catalogue price - not discussed other than ‘these won’t fit I’m afraid, let me know which of these you prefer instead’. They know we knew the prices as we’d viewed everything in person originally.

The windows + upgraded finish total approx £260 less than we had calculated from the quotes.

However the grand total is approx £600 more than we had confirmed.

The work took 2 men 1.5 days initially, then a further couple of hours to fit the new glass, then popping back to make final adjustments.

My gut feeling is they’ve discovered the original quote was wrong and miscommunicated it somehow, maybe forgetting labour. Although the design is liaised with the company/showroom, the fitter invoices us for the total cost, including supply of all goods. Which makes me feel terrible if that’s the case, as I’d hate someone to be genuinely out of pocket.

On the other hand, this  was not the cheapest quote we had, we opted for this company for the quality. I used to run a business and had occasions where I had to swallow a cost that was down to me - including my labour.

Thanks for your comments. We’ve given the benefit of the doubt and politely requested clarification - and await a response.

GDB2222

Well, someone is going to be genuinely out of pocket. Best if it is the owner of the company and not you. 

How he treats his fitters is his problem, but he won’t be in business long if he makes others pay for his mistakes.