Wrong patio doors fitted

Flowerfiesta

Hi,

I’ve just had some patio doors fitted on Wednesday and realised that they are not to the spec we designed.

We went with a window fitter who we had used before, rather than ordering the doors straight from a company.

I sent a diagram to the window fitter of the design i wanted, including the measurements, following an in person discussion. The diagram was hand drawn and given to him, and a copy was sent via WhatsApp.

Firstly the doors turned up without glass, and we have been asked to pay extra for the glass. The fitter said the supplier had not specified it was a frame only.

Secondly, the door design is different to what I specified. They are crittal style, and the doors and sidelights have been made to the wrong dimensions, and the aluminium bars are positioned in the wrong place. Our fitter never sent us a confirmed drawing of the doors once ordered from the supplier, so I didn’t know until they had been fitted.

What are our rights here? I feel really frustrated as I did get a quote from a supplier with the exact right design emailed to me, but trusted our fitter. 

JJ_Egan

What does your fitter say ??

Aylesbury_Duck

The problem may be your hand drawn instructions.  Are we talking sketch on the back of an envelope, or a reasonably accurate scale drawing on graph paper, for example?

It sounds as though, between you, you and the fitter have been too casual.  Presumably he will argue he has supplied what you asked for, and your argument is that as the professional, the onus is on him to check details and not to proceed whilst there's any ambiguity.

Time to talk to him.

Flowerfiesta

It was a scale drawing on square paper, with measurements detailed on the drawing and underneath.

it was definitely more informal than I would have liked, and we did request more meetings and conversations to go over the details. This never materialised so drawing it out felt like my only option - probably should have figured then.

tacpot12

The resolution to your dispute might depend, to some degree, on how measurably different your doors are to the design you submitted. Some manufacturing tolerances would be allowable, and if the configuration of the doors match your design, you have to wonder how the manufacturer copied the layout but not the dimensions, but  this is the fitter's problem. 

If the fitter quoted for french doors, then they should have supplied them with glass. The fact that their supplier didn't supply them with glass is not your problem. realistically the best outcome you can hope for is settlement where you and the fitter pay a bit towards the cost of the glass. I wouldn't even discuss what you would contribute to the cost of the glass until the problem with the frame is resolved. 

Not paying for the frames, or paying a portion of the bill would be one option - the fitter might sue you and/or remove the doors. You might  then engage a different company to supply and fit the doors you want (with glass). 

If you have home insurance, check whether you have legal expenses cover. If you do, you should call the legal helpline they provide and ask for advice. They should be able to tell you how to proceed.