Where do I stand with damaged item

JMCF81

I'm having my bathroom renovated and due to ongoing disruptions (covid/hvg drivers etc) I decided to get all my items delivered well ahead of my builders starting.
I received my items 23/08 and checked everything over with the exception of the huge 1200 x 900 glass shower panel because it was 1) so securely packaged I didn't want to undo it all and then have it stored for a month in my house with risk of getting damaged if I couldn't repackage it well enough. (It was all held together with huge thick cable tie type fastenings and the thickest tape and staples I've seen in my life!) 
2) it's so big and heavy I couldn't actually move it from where the delivery man left it!! 

So fast forward to the last day of my builders completing my bathroom and between 2 burely men it took them atleast 15 minutes to get this glass carefully upstairs into my bathroom (under my supervision) where they then proceeded to unpackaged it and immediately noted 2 glass chips along one edge. The item was absolutely surrounded in polystyrene so I can only see it was either packaged with the chips already insitu or its had one hell of a ride on the delivery lorry. Its also 10mm strengthened glass so it certainly hasn't broken leaning against my dining room wall, untouched, for the last month.

I contacted the company I purchased from immediately and their response was basically tough, our T&Cs say you have 7 days to report damage. They've reached out directly to the manufacturer (where the item was directly dispatched from) and we are awaiting their response.

Where do I stand if the manufacturer also say they won't take responsibility? it clearly arrived damaged. (There is a 8 or 10yr warranty)
The item was £350 and I can only have the same item from this  manufacturer as my builders have already fitted all the specific shower fixings to hold that particular glass panel.

Any advice would be great just to prepare me if they come back with an unfavourable response.

Thank you

NSG666

I suspect that you are at the mercy of the manufacturer but I can understand the actions you took regarding not unpacking it to check. I used to fit bathrooms and leave the packaging intact until I needed the item especially on something like a well packaged glass screen that I might have checked hadn't shattered into a million pieces but not for chips.

From the supplier's and manufacturer's point of view it's a month since it was delivered and anything could have happened to it in that time. If they come back in the negative then I think the best you can do is see whether the supplier will do you a special discount deal - especially if you bought everything from them.

Sorry, not much help but good luck.

theonlywayisup

You mention a warranty, does the warranty cover damage? (I suspect not). 

Money_Grabber13579

Any chance the chips can be repaired (a bit like car windscreens)? Appreciate that it’s not the ideal scenario but I can see the difficulties from both sides involved.

JMCF81

NSG666 said:

I suspect that you are at the mercy of the manufacturer but I can understand the actions you took regarding not unpacking it to check. I used to fit bathrooms and leave the packaging intact until I needed the item especially on something like a well packaged glass screen that I might have checked hadn't shattered into a million pieces but not for chips.

From the supplier's and manufacturer's point of view it's a month since it was delivered and anything could have happened to it in that time. If they come back in the negative then I think the best you can do is see whether the supplier will do you a special discount deal - especially if you bought everything from them.

Sorry, not much help but good luck.

The external packaging wasn't damaged and it was well packaged inside, we actually looked for the chipped pieces of glass in the packaging but didn't find any... which makes me think it was packaged already damaged! 
My builder suggested asking for a discount as well, I will definitely try that thanks.

JMCF81

theonlywayisup said:

You mention a warranty, does the warranty cover damage? (I suspect not). 

It does, but the manufacturers T&C's on damage before installation (as in arrived damaged) is 30 days... we discovered it on day 31!

JMCF81

Money_Grabber13579 said:

Any chance the chips can be repaired (a bit like car windscreens)? Appreciate that it’s not the ideal scenario but I can see the difficulties from both sides involved.

No, the chips are quite significant and may have weakened the rest of the glass, plus I can imagine that would be hard work and expensive trying to find someone who could do it. If we tamper with the glass all remain warranty would also be void.

mattyprice4004

I was just going to say that being glass, you don’t want to expose it to heat / cold cycles with chips missing as it’s much more likely to go ‘pop’. 

It’s a tough one, I can appreciate how difficult it’d be to check but unfortunately you’re rather at their mercy. 

It’s been out of their care for a month and while you know it’s been packaged and looked after, they don’t - it could have been damaged in use or by the fitters as far as they know.