Barratt & Manufacturers Simply Blaming Me

RandomUser923759

Bought a brand new flat two years ago. The quality of the flooring seems to be off, I have two 0.5 cm chips in the surface. The were not there at time of purchase and flooring is 100% meant to last years.

Barratt and the manufacturer have just essentially said “you must have dropped/impacted”

this is simply not the case and it’s my word against theirs?

im guessing there must have been subtle weaknesses/imperfections that have since gotten caught on mop/hoover and finally broken away.

don’t know how to resolve this thought.

deannagone

I am afraid vacuums can damage laminate flooring (if this is what you have).  Particularly if you vacuum with the beater brush mode enabled rather than a hard floor setting.As can other things.  Unfortunately laminate flooring is not super hard wearing, it can chip.  You are going to have to prove there is something wrong with it or how it was laid to have any chance of success.  Otherwise, cover up the damaged areas if they are damaged enough to be noticeable with rugs or furniture.

penners324

It's on you unfortunately 

ThisIsWeird

Just for your own sanity, Random User, you may wish to have these chips repaired yourself, or for the tiles/planks to be replaced (if easier to do). 
What finish is it? Lots of products available that appear to achieve near-invisible repairs.
Annoying, yes, but possibly the best way to move forward.

theartfullodger

You can take them to court... Doubt you'd win though 

Surely you only have a contract with Barrets not the manufacturer?  So only Barrets to sue....

GDB2222

theartfullodger said:

You can take them to court... Doubt you'd win though 

Surely you only have a contract with Barrets not the manufacturer?  So only Barrets to sue....

Manufacturers often give a guarantee.

eddddy

RandomUser923759 said:

Bought a brand new flat two years ago. The quality of the flooring seems to be off, I have two 0.5 cm chips in the surface. The were not there at time of purchase and flooring is 100% meant to last years.

So it sounds like...

• As it's a Barratts flat - I guess it has a NHBC warranty, which includes a 2 year warranty against faulty workmanship or faulty materials

• You reported the problem within the 2 year time limit

If you can't resolve this dispute with the builder, you can try getting NHBC's Dispute Resolution Service involved.

But if Barratts and the manufacturer are both saying the problem is your fault, I suspect you'll need a report from a 'flooring expert' saying the problem is faulty workmanship and/or faulty materials.

If you have no luck with NHBC, maybe the only way to go will be a court claim against Barratts for breaching the terms of your warranty.


(Unless Barratts / the manufacturer gave you a warranty from the manufacturer. In which case, you could potentially make a court claim against the manufacturer for breaching their warranty terms.)

RandomUser923759

My issues is them saying I’m must have caused impact when I haven’t though. 

user1977

RandomUser923759 said:

My issues is them saying I’m must have caused impact when I haven’t though. 

So as advised you'd need to get some evidence to back up your version of events.

eddddy

RandomUser923759 said:

My issues is them saying I’m must have caused impact when I haven’t though. 

Yes.

So I was suggesting that you'll probably need to get a 'Flooring Expert' to write a report maybe saying something like...

"The 0.5mm chips were not caused by impacts, they are the result of manufacturing faults (i.e. faulty materials) and/or a result of the flooring being laid badly (i.e. faulty workmanship)."

Or maybe...

"The material used for manufacturing the flooring is unsuitable and faulty. Therefore it chips as a result of everyday use. "

chanz4

nhbc aint worth paper written on