Faulty kitchen door replacements

LordD

Hello.
A while back we had out kitchen cupboard doors replaced and purchased a whole set of bespoke measurement doors through a kitchen / bathroom company. They were the company's 'premium' range of doors. Around a year after they were installed -  we complained that any dirt on them was not wiping off - we had been noticing it for a long time - and eventually thought this was not right; after wiping there was still a visible mark - as if the coating on the doors was not sealed properly. We had been told by the installers to use only soapy water on the doors, and no strong cleaning agents.

The kitchen company contacted the manufacturer (who are German, but have an operation / sales agent based in the UK) - one of the doors was taken for testing. After about three months the manufacturer said they could find no fault, but would pay for the doors to be replaced, whilst not admitting any liability. They would also not cover the cost of the new installation of the replacement doors. The kitchen company (who use their own fitters) are also refusing to cover the installation cost as they said there was no fault in the original install - which is true; there wasn't - the installers did a great job.

My question is as a consumer - do I have any rights over the installer company as they supplied the goods - who is my contract with? I feel aggrieved to have to pay a second installation cost on something I do not think was originally up to standard.

Many thanks

David

Nearlyold

Was it the fitting company's name and details on the invoice to you for the doors? 

born_again

Seeing as they found no fault & the offer is good will, then I think that installation will be at your cost. Do they want the old doors back?

But it is not hard to instal a cupboard door. If you are handy you could do it yourself.

LordD

Hello - thanks for the replies. The invoice contained the kitchen company's address as they are who we paid for everything - door supply and fit.  Re fitting myself - I'm relatively handy - but just don't have the time to spare - it's a lot of doors!

Nearlyold

If there's no handles to fit it's an easy swap out  - circa 5 mins a door. Admittedly if you've got to drill through to fit handles it'll take quite a bit more time.

DullGreyGuy

If you can prove they are faulty then you'd have a claim but the manufacturer has denied that they are faulty. Presumably it's over 6 months old? In which case you'd need to be commissioning an independent expert to confirm they are faulty, the cost of the report can be added to your claim but obviously if it says they aren't faulty but just a finish you need to be careful with etc then its your own loss. 

LordD

Thank you for all the replies - I appreciate the thoughts. It has been over 6 months, but the guarantee on the doors and installation is 5 years. It's hard when the manufacturer has said there is no fault - I have to take their word for it as I cannot get a copy of the report. Realistically, if they were faulty, would they admit? Then they'd possibly be liable for many claims. Lesson learned:  I should have just gone to Howdens and saved me a load of money.  Sadly more and more, in todays world, if you pay for 'premium', you get the same as standard - but end up with expensive standard! My old doors lasted 19 years and a couple of the foils blew. And you could clean them - who'd have thought it, eh?!!
 

DullGreyGuy

LordD said:
Sadly more and more, in todays world, if you pay for 'premium', you get the same as standard - but end up with expensive standard! 

I disagree, but price alone is not a measure of quality. Unfortunately "premium" often also comes with "premium" marketing budgets and showrooms etc all of which also add to the price. There are certainly some where the uplift mainly pays for the brand name, there are others where you are paying for more expensive materials. That said, more expensive materials are not necessarily more robust/longer lasting but can reflect their rarity or difficulty in working with them. Rare marble will be vastly more expensive than "quartz" but will be much more subjective to damage from acids (eg lemon juice/vinegar), stains and scratching.

It's always good to do your research to understand where your monies are going... if no one else is offering something there may be a reason for it. 

LordD said:
Realistically, if they were faulty, would they admit? 

Depends on the company, some do, some do product recalls when they realise there is a systemic issue, some will always deny liability but do lots on a goodwill basis.