Rights of consumer

Dewdrops1420

SpudGunPaul said:

Dewdrops1420 said:

The company had not filed for the last two years since its incorporation in July 2021 and it has two directors -father son duo who did the work. Just one company. 

They put membrane before the slabs, rest I don’t know as we were busy with office work.Just trusted them 😔

They'll probably fold that business and start a new one once you file a claim. 

No point in laying a membrane under the slabs if theres a correct sub base. 

So are you all saying there is no point in going behind them? This won’t get fixed and I will lose my 4080£ plus cost to redo the work?

WhiskersTheWonderCat

Honestly, I think the patio looks completely fine. Yes, the slabs are a different colour, but you will never get new slabs matching the colour of older slabs. Even different batches of new slabs can have colour differences. The water in your photo, seems to be pooling on the older/darker colour slabs. Did they lay those slabs? You say the water is running off towards the lawn, which is perfect - just how it should be. 

I would say that over £4,000 to lay that few slabs, is absolute robbery! 

MikeJXE

You won't lose your £4080 you will lose what it costs to put it right or nothing at all if you accept it how it is 

eskbanker

Dewdrops1420 said:

SpudGunPaul said:

Dewdrops1420 said:

The company had not filed for the last two years since its incorporation in July 2021 and it has two directors -father son duo who did the work. Just one company. 

They put membrane before the slabs, rest I don’t know as we were busy with office work.Just trusted them 😔

They'll probably fold that business and start a new one once you file a claim. 

No point in laying a membrane under the slabs if theres a correct sub base. 

So are you all saying there is no point in going behind them? This won’t get fixed and I will lose my 4080£ plus cost to redo the work?

I think the advice from most is to set realistic expectations - you gave the impression right from the start that you were seeking your money back (all of it?), whereas it seems to make more sense to ascertain what needs to be done to get it right (plus who can do it and how much will it cost), and then to determine whether you can make a compelling case that this incremental cost should be claimed back from the original company.  Even if you do have a solid claim and a court agrees, that's not the same as actually recovering the money, which is what the most recent cautious remarks are covering....

tightauldgit

Dewdrops1420 said:

TELLIT01 said:

Slabs will not change colour in a few days, but the old slabs do look very dirty.  Pressure washing may reduce the difference in colour, but trying to match new with old is extremely difficult as slabs will fade over a number of years.

We did jet wash and found that the colour is indeed different and our old slabs were laid down in June 2021, so not many years have passed to fade the colour.
Also we have proof that landscaper said, ‘ Matching slabs’ will be laid.

so will the court not accept that?

Nobody here can tell you what a court will or won't accept on the day - that's what the judge decides. People are just warning you to be realistic and to be sure that you prepare your case properly. If you just rock up to the court and say you aren't happy with the work and want a refund then the likelihood is you will not get anything. You have to set out your case clearly and provide evidence that the work was not done properly, or not what was agreed. Which is why a report from your new landscaper is important. 

You have a document that says 'matching slabs' will be laid? But what is the definition of 'matching'? You can't expect a ' 100% exact' match so the court would have to consider what is reasonable and whether the landscaper took reasonable care to match the colour, size, texture etc as best they could. 

And just to be clear. A court isn't going to stop these people trading, at best you will get an order to pay you £x amount. You will then potentially have to take further action to get them to pay and it may or may not be that they are able to pay or willing to pay. They may decide to fold the company and start up under a new name. There are all sorts of shennanigans that dodgy traders can pull if they so wish. 

Dewdrops1420

WhiskersTheWonderCat said:

Honestly, I think the patio looks completely fine. Yes, the slabs are a different colour, but you will never get new slabs matching the colour of older slabs. Even different batches of new slabs can have colour differences. The water in your photo, seems to be pooling on the older/darker colour slabs. Did they lay those slabs? You say the water is running off towards the lawn, which is perfect - just how it should be. 

I would say that over £4,000 to lay that few slabs, is absolute robbery! 

Whatever I showed in picture was laid down by them.They just reused few of my old slabs but all were laid down by them. The water is not drying off on the sides even after bright sunlight.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Nothing you saying OP sounds good sadly, if they aren't filing they might fold for a £4000 claim. 

I know it's too late now but it's always important to have an idea of what should be done and keep an eye on the job as it progresses. Whilst the trader is responsible it can save the headache. 

Extensive info here

https://www.pavingexpert.com/

for you to compare, the main thing is the install which should comply with this:


You can check the fall of your patio with a long level, a tape measure and anything to pack up the level. 

oldernonethewiser

Have you gone back to Citizens Advice to discuss the situation with them as they advised?

JGB1955

You were never going to get matching (colour) slabs... who do you think can find 2 year old slabs matching the same state as your existing ones?  Looks like they provided the matching pattern/composition.  It might have been better if they'd mixed and matched them but... that would have involved more money in lifting existing slabs and re-laying the whole patio....

Dewdrops1420

JGB1955 said:

You were never going to get matching (colour) slabs... who do you think can find 2 year old slabs matching the same state as your existing ones?  Looks like they provided the matching pattern/composition.  It might have been better if they'd mixed and matched them but... that would have involved more money in lifting existing slabs and re-laying the whole patio....

I doubt now if you were my landscaper. We paid 4080£ and you are saying to bring matching slabs involve more money? Also there were no slabs infront of conservatory, it was plain ground, existing patio was already removed by the construction people and these robbers laid down the whole area.
our new landscaper said that the cost of the job is just £2000 and he can bring us matching slabs