B&Q faulty Flooring

chris_greenwood

Could someone offer me some advice please. 

I bought the below from B&Q:

Jazy Luxury Vinyl Click Flooring 

Diall 5mm Underlay

At the time of buying the flooring (10 month ago) the staff at B&Q advised me to buy the 5mm underlay to use along side it, which I did.

I paid to have it laid professionally (not by B&Q) and now 10 months later, the flooring is starting to crack and split all over. As the flooring came with a 10 year guarantee, I spoke with B&Q's customer support and they are refusing to help me or offer a refund as they say I have bought the wrong underlay - even though this is what their staff recommended to me! They are basically saying its my word against theirs.

Does anyone know where I stand with this? Due to the large area I had covered, it has cost me a fortune to buy and have laid, and now it starting to crack in every room and is just going to get worse. I have looked at the reviews for this flooring (on the B&Q site!!) and they are horrendous, a lot of people have had the exact same issue which suggests to me the damage is a result of the very poor quality flooring, as opposed to the wrong underlay. 

I am not too sure what my options are now?? Any help or advice would be really appreciated. 

Aylesbury_Duck

You need to get someone independent to come and inspect the floor and determine the exact cause of the problem.  Is it actually a result of the wrong underlay, or is it really the case that the flooring is not fit for purpose (as you suspect).  If the former, then it is a case of their word against yours, and might end up in small claims if you want to take it that far.  If the latter, you have a good case to go back and ask for a resolution.  If it ends up in court, you can add the cost of the report to your claim.

How did you pay for it?

chris_greenwood

I paid for it by credit card. I was thinking about going down the Section 75 route, however the floor is guaranteed for 10 years, so I am not sure if a section 75 claim will be possible?

Aylesbury_Duck

The guarantee is separate to your consumer rights.  Guarantee rights sit with the manufacturer, so if you haven't done so already, give them a call to see if a warranty claim is possible.  Assuming they brush you off, the consumer rights route is the way to go.  The ten year guarantee has no bearing on your ability to try a S75 claim, but your card provider will almost certainly want the report you'd need to get B&Q to do anything under your consumer rights.  As it stands, the cause of the problem is in dispute, so a S75 claim will probably fail.  Establish the root cause of the problem, then you can ask B&Q for a resolution, with S75 or small claims action as your backstop. 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

I would screenshot all those reviews and the product page (plus the underlay product page) in case the product disappears but you need rely on the info later. 

The website states: "We recommend using Luxury vinyl click flooring underlay panels with this product, for optimal fitting and performance"

The Diall 5mm Underlay is panels, I don't know enough to say whether they are "Luxury vinyl click flooring underlay panels" but equally a recommendation is not the same as a requirement. 

Did the flooring come with any information on how to lay and specifically what underlay was required? 

I would get a report done by a local independent flooring company and then send that to B&Q with a letter before action for the cost of the flooring minus 8.3% to account for 10 months use vs the 10 year period they guarantee the floor for. 

You'd also have the right to seek the reasonable costs of labour to replace plus damages (removal and disposal of existing flooring).

Don't add anything for time or inconvenience  

Aylesbury_Duck

Does OP also have a legitimate cause for complaint to the fitter?  Did the fitter raise any concerns over the underlay and whether it was a suitable match to the flooring?  

What do the instructions that came with the flooring say about how it should be laid, and over what type of underlay?  Did your fitter work according to those instructions, and if the underlay specification differed from the materials you provided, did he not raise the disparity before starting work?

chris_greenwood

I have just done  a bit of research online and apparently the underlay is actually the wrong type for the flooring I have. 

However, I bought this underlay purely as it was recommended by the B&Q staff when I bough the flooring. Given the fact it was 10 months ago and I do not have (nor remember) the name of the staff member I spoke to, is it still worth pursuing this in small claims court? Clearly B&Q are not willing to assist me as it is a "word on word" allegation. 

Aylesbury_Duck

chris_greenwood said:

I have just done  a bit of research online and apparently the underlay is actually the wrong type for the flooring I have. 

However, I bought this underlay purely as it was recommended by the B&Q staff when I bough the flooring. Given the fact it was 10 months ago and I do not have (nor remember) the name of the staff member I spoke to, is it still worth pursuing this in small claims court? Clearly B&Q are not willing to assist me as it is a "word on word" allegation. 

See my post above.  Did your fitter not spot the disparity between the specification and what you provided, given that he's the professional?  This is one of those cases where it's better to pay someone to supply and fit.  That way, one person is accountable for the product and its fitting.

Given what you've discovered, it does seem futile getting the inspection done - you now know what the problem is.

You could try small claims court, which will look at the available evidence and come to a decision.  You never know, B&Q may make an offer in response, rather than incurring the time and cost of defending the claim.  

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

chris_greenwood said:

I have just done  a bit of research online and apparently the underlay is actually the wrong type for the flooring I have. 

However, I bought this underlay purely as it was recommended by the B&Q staff when I bough the flooring. Given the fact it was 10 months ago and I do not have (nor remember) the name of the staff member I spoke to, is it still worth pursuing this in small claims court? Clearly B&Q are not willing to assist me as it is a "word on word" allegation. 

Please see above  

Did the flooring come with any information on how to lay and specifically what underlay was required?

You probably won't get far by saying they recommended that underlay as it comes down to their word against your and in small claims that would be on the balance of probability which could go either way depending upon who articulates themselves best.  

The cost of a report should be small relative to the loss of the flooring, I doubt B&Q will want to defend a claim in court so £100 gamble on getting a report and sending off the letter on the chance they give in when they see you are serious is probably worth it.

Really your claim hinges on the question above though. 

Jumblebumble

chris_greenwood said:

Could someone offer me some advice please. 

I bought the below from B&Q:

Jazy Luxury Vinyl Click Flooring 

Diall 5mm Underlay

At the time of buying the flooring (10 month ago) the staff at B&Q advised me to buy the 5mm underlay to use along side it, which I did.

I paid to have it laid professionally (not by B&Q) and now 10 months later, the flooring is starting to crack and split all over. As the flooring came with a 10 year guarantee, I spoke with B&Q's customer support and they are refusing to help me or offer a refund as they say I have bought the wrong underlay - even though this is what their staff recommended to me! They are basically saying its my word against theirs.

Does anyone know where I stand with this? Due to the large area I had covered, it has cost me a fortune to buy and have laid, and now it starting to crack in every room and is just going to get worse. I have looked at the reviews for this flooring (on the B&Q site!!) and they are horrendous, a lot of people have had the exact same issue which suggests to me the damage is a result of the very poor quality flooring, as opposed to the wrong underlay. 

I am not too sure what my options are now?? Any help or advice would be really appreciated. 

Unfortunately this is an example of incompetent fitters who did not question the underlay at the time
Equally unfortunately the Diall does not claim to be suitable for LVT
You would  also have to be sure that the floor was properly prepared and completely level .
Did your fitter lay 6mm plywood first as my understanding is that this essential?
Did he unwrap it and leave to acclimatise for 48 Hours ?

Your main issue however is that the underlay you have bought is 5mm but the LVT underlay B and Q sell is 1mm and consequently the flexing  will be therefore be way more on your floor than is acceptable which has predictably led to cracking 
Both the idiot saleman and the  idiot fitter should have known this and I think that B and Q will win any chargeback or court case as they will deny the salesman did anything of the sort

( I would bet that all the unhappy complainants on the reviews used 5mm underlay and no plywood)
If you do have it replaced I would go for Polyflor with their own underlay as this is highly rated by the trade and goes together very well ( I laid some in a flat earlier this year
LG is also very good

Aylesbury_Duck

Jumblebumble said:

chris_greenwood said:

Could someone offer me some advice please. 

I bought the below from B&Q:

Jazy Luxury Vinyl Click Flooring 

Diall 5mm Underlay

At the time of buying the flooring (10 month ago) the staff at B&Q advised me to buy the 5mm underlay to use along side it, which I did.

I paid to have it laid professionally (not by B&Q) and now 10 months later, the flooring is starting to crack and split all over. As the flooring came with a 10 year guarantee, I spoke with B&Q's customer support and they are refusing to help me or offer a refund as they say I have bought the wrong underlay - even though this is what their staff recommended to me! They are basically saying its my word against theirs.

Does anyone know where I stand with this? Due to the large area I had covered, it has cost me a fortune to buy and have laid, and now it starting to crack in every room and is just going to get worse. I have looked at the reviews for this flooring (on the B&Q site!!) and they are horrendous, a lot of people have had the exact same issue which suggests to me the damage is a result of the very poor quality flooring, as opposed to the wrong underlay. 

I am not too sure what my options are now?? Any help or advice would be really appreciated. 

Unfortunately this is an example of incompetent fitters who did not question the underlay at the time
Equally unfortunately the Diall does not claim to be suitable for LVT
You would  also have to be sure that the floor was properly prepared and completely level .
Did your fitter lay 6mm plywood first as my understanding is that this essential?
Did he unwrap it and leave to acclimatise for 48 Hours ?

Your main issue however is that the underlay you have bought is 5mm but the LVT underlay B and Q sell is 1mm and consequently the flexing  will be therefore be way more on your floor than is acceptable which has predictably led to cracking 
Both the idiot saleman and the  idiot fitter should have known this and I think that B and Q will win any chargeback or court case as they will deny the salesman did anything of the sort

( I would bet that all the unhappy complainants on the reviews used 5mm underlay and no plywood)
If you do have it replaced I would go for Polyflor with their own underlay as this is highly rated by the trade and goes together very well ( I laid some in a flat earlier this year
LG is also very good

Indeed, this is so important.  If the planks have been in their sealed boxes in, for example, a garage for a week before laying, then just put straight down, the change in temperature and humidity (both upwards) will almost certainly lead to expansion, which could exceed the expansion gaps needed even when the planks have been stored correctly in the room in which they are to be laid for a couple of days beforehand.