Sent incorrect item - financial loss?

JJMur

Weird situation.. I ordered three radiators and 1 arrived in the wrong colour. Attempted to contact company to correct this, and only heard back after 4 days (they never respond on live chat/phone). Finally got through Tuesday morning. They have said they can exchange on Friday, but our plumber can only do tomorrow (Thursday) or we have to wait another week. We can’t really get another tradesman as the plumber has been replacing our entire heating system. At this point, we have had no heat or hot water for 9 days (6 caused by this incorrect radiator). We have said one option is we keep the wrong one, pay the plumber to come twice (an extra £300) but expect the £200 replacement at a discount (ideally free, but think cost would be acceptable). That still presents a large loss on our part. They have offered us £20 off. Our options are basically freeze and have kettle baths for another week or spend £180 on a replacement for their mistake, plus £300 for the plumber (plus delays to all the other lines up trades). To think this isn’t really a solution for the inconvenience caused? What are my rights when there is inconvenience or financial loss as a result of their mistake? Their attitude seems to be ‘well we’re offering to get you the correct one’, but this is 9 days after I reported it being incorrect. 

Jenni_D

Unless the line up of trades, and the implications of failure to fulfil the contract correctly, had been made clear to the seller before the contract of sale was agreed, then I suspect you have little in the way of recourse, sorry.  

Could the wrong colour radiator be used in a non-obvious location? (i.e. where the wrong colour wouldn't normally be seen by anyone but you). Could it be painted to match the colour of the others? (Just looking for workarounds that give the least inconvenience).

user1977

Your statutory rights don't include this sort of consequential loss - if you wanted those to be covered, you'd have had to put it in the contract.

maisie_cat

Too late for you I know, but I have found in the past that having the materials arrive as early as possible is the only way to avoid such thing.
We had our system installed at the end of June last year but bought the radiators in April, we had to return two of them, one was damaged, the other wrong size.
Most suppliers of building materials specifically state in their T&Cs that you should allow plenty of time.
How wrong is the wrong colour? painting it might be a much cheaper option than having to pay the plumber again.

Alderbank

I assume the rogue radiator is the same size and style but just the wrong colour?

If so your plumber can install all the pipework and wall fixings and just leave the valves for that radiator turned off.
He can put your heating and hot water back on at that point. All you will lack is the heat from that one radiator.
You will not be without heat or hot water and when the new radiator arrives it is a relatively simple job to connect it up and finish off the installation. It is a DIY job if you are confident.
It will cost you a little more (should be nothing like £300 for a 30 minute job) but as others have said that is your fault for crossing your fingers that everything will turn up perfect and on time.

Aylesbury_Duck

Surely in the case where you have to wait, the plumber can temporarily connect the inlet and outlet pipes to complete the circuit and allow you heating and hot water for a week?

Anthony147

Not what you want to hear but as has been said already - These things happen a lot and you’ve only got two ways to protect yourself.
1: Ensure materials are correct before engaging trades
2: Have the trades supply and fit

In terms of the already very good advice for the plumber to do everything leaving just connecting the replacement radiator outstanding that’s your best bet as you’d have heating - A competent plumber / heating engineer shouldn’t take any real time to finish off so if he wants £300 to finish off that’s between you and him.

You mention other lined up trades but having trouble seeing what trades a single radiator not being installed would delay.

JJMur

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think the issue we have is how long they have taken to organise a replacement. Painting is not really an option as they have said this would void the 20 year warranty. The issue with the plumbing is that we have a floor with soundproofing being installed so pipe work needs to be done ahead of that. If there’s any issue when the replacement arrives, we’d have to rip up the floor. We did arrange for everything to arrive ahead of time for checking (2 weeks ahead), but the seller delayed our delivery due to other issues and it only arrived half way through the works. Not the best situation all told. I’ll hope the plumber will provide a workaround - thanks all :-(  

Jenni_D

The radiator connects to pipework which will come up through the floor. That pipework can all still be run and tested (with the valves closed) without that radiator being fitted. (If the valves are integral to the radiator, the plumber can fit temporary valves or shut-offs).

It is unlikely that the installation of a single radiator must hold up all the other works - there are always workarounds, and your plumber should be able to confirm.

Manxman_in_exile

JJMur said:

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think the issue we have is how long they have taken to organise a replacement. Painting is not really an option as they have said this would void the 20 year warranty. The issue with the plumbing is that we have a floor with soundproofing being installed so pipe work needs to be done ahead of that. If there’s any issue when the replacement arrives, we’d have to rip up the floor. We did arrange for everything to arrive ahead of time for checking (2 weeks ahead), but the seller delayed our delivery due to other issues and it only arrived half way through the works. Not the best situation all told. I’ll hope the plumber will provide a workaround - thanks all :-(  

Have you not discussed workaround options with your plumber already?  This sort of thing - necessitating the bypassing or isolation of a single radiator - must happen all the time... 

Chris_English

JJMur said:

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think the issue we have is how long they have taken to organise a replacement. Painting is not really an option as they have said this would void the 20 year warranty. The issue with the plumbing is that we have a floor with soundproofing being installed so pipe work needs to be done ahead of that. If there’s any issue when the replacement arrives, we’d have to rip up the floor. We did arrange for everything to arrive ahead of time for checking (2 weeks ahead), but the seller delayed our delivery due to other issues and it only arrived half way through the works. Not the best situation all told. I’ll hope the plumber will provide a workaround - thanks all :-(  

I don't follow here. You know the distance between the inblet and outlet of the new radiator (you have it there in your house) so you have it plumbed for that size.

THe tolerance between different radiators from the same factory in the same range is going to be a fraction of a millimetre, far less than the give in your pipes.

You seem to be inventing a problem here where none exists at all.