Workmen removed holding swing cement.

blackstar

Hello all,

We recently got synthetic grass installed in our back garden. We had a swing also installed shortly before the synthetic grass was installed and had it concreted into the ground as recommend by manufacturer.

We told them we wanted swing left alone. They then asked again the day they came and said yes we want it left secure in place.

However, we noticed the swing legs were moving when in use. We though thats strange as concrete job was very good.

So we asked the synthetic grass installers how the synthetic grass was installed as I need to remove a small area around the swing legs as concrete is not working. They advised it was just pinned in and we can pin it back in no issues. 

So a handyman came out today and found it was not pinned in, definitely not around the swing legs anyway, there was nothing holding it in, fair enough if thats how its meant to be.

So handyman cut a square patch around swing leg and discovered they have totally removed all the concrete and it was just sitting in rubble/small stones and a little mud. 

We are not happy at all. Now the patch of grass that was cut out wont attach back on and is totally loose. I contacted company but they are just ignoring me. 

Is there anything I can do consumer rights wise and anything I can do to secure those 4 patches of synthetic grass back on? 

Very upset about it as the grass is ruined because the removed the swing base secure setting when I told them I wanted to leave the swing alone. Now I have had to damage my synthetic grass to repair what they damaged. 

Is there any reason they could not have completed the job without removing the swing leg concrete setting? 

At the very least they should have told me they were going to remove the swing leg concrete set and do I wish for them to do as swing will have no secure setting. But they never did. They just removed it and didnt say anything and ofcourse hid it over the grass so I would t notice until we saw the swing legs moving and had to dig up to see. holding xe

WIAWSNB

Yikes.
Ok, slightly tricky due to the damage made to the grass, but clearly the installer did not follow your clear instructions.
Q - can you evidence your instructions? Witnesses? Initial contact by email? 
Ok, it seems pretty obvious why they did this - remove the poles - as how could they have otherwise installed the grass without a long cut to the perimeter?
What are the tops of these poles like - can they be detached up there, to allow the grass to be slid over it? If so, then they should have been able to do this - measure and cut 4 pole-diameter holes in the grass, lift it up as a sheet, feed it over all 4 poles, and jobbie jobbed.
Any reason they couldn't have done this?
If they couldn't - if the tops are fixed - then the only alternatives I can see are either what they did - remove the poles first - or to cut long slices in the grass, clearly not ideal.
Do you have LegProt in your insurance?

Swipe

Really, they should have dug out and laid new cement in the footings before they began to address that swing area. It would have set just fine under the synthetic grass. They probably couldn't be bothered to go and buy a couple of bags of postcrete.

eddddy

It sounds like you are saying that the grass installers breached the contract, because...

• They did not carry out the installation service according to the terms you had contractual agreed

and/or

• They did not carry out the installation service with "reasonable care and skill" - which is an implied term in all consumer service contracts

The best solution is if you can persuade the grass installers to put it right. But in the worst case, you might have to pay to have it put right - and then make a claim against grass installers for the cost of putting it right due to their breach of contract.


If you end up having to make a claim against the grass installers, if you paid the installers by credit card, you can make a section 75 claim with the credit card company.

Otherwise, it would be a case of suing them in court.

Either way, you would have to provide evidence to support your case. For example, if your claiming that the grass wasn't installed with "reasonable care and skill", you might need an expert's report to confirm that.

UnsureAboutthis

Swipe said:

Really, they should have dug out and laid new cement in the footings before they began to address that swing area. It would have set just fine under the synthetic grass. They probably couldn't be bothered to go and buy a couple of bags of postcrete.

Just as I thought, "they could not be bothered."

OP,  are the installers a respected outfit who have been established for years and possibly
have a shop front - if so, then they will take your complaint seriously.

However, if it one of those outfits that creates a new company, eg often pavious/fencers/artificial grass -
you have little hope,

I don't trust these types of contracts, never.  Every time we've had a fence/drive done or the family
has, you have to continuously remind them, and even argue what was agreed. We always get the spec in writing.
Having said that,  many of these contracts seem to have the gift of the gab and win people over with nice,
often empty words.

Anyone reading this post - I strongly recommed you keep a watchful eye on your contractor.
I'm sure there are very good ones out there. However, even get one of these types of contractors
via those trader sites with what appear to be great reviews, things can go wrong
and they rarely resolve it - often the case re warranties/gurantees - EG, drivees, even
poorly contracted ones look ok for a few months but then start to sink/etc.

silvercar

Don’t pieces of synthetic grass glue together?

Controversial idea, plant some real turf around the poles.

Section62

blackstar said:

...

Very upset about it as the grass is ruined because the removed the swing base secure setting when I told them I wanted to leave the swing alone. Now I have had to damage my synthetic grass to repair what they damaged. 

...

This part of your claim might be tricky, because the handyman didn't need to cut squares out of the grass.  If he'd made 'X' shaped cuts (with the swing leg at the centre of the 'X') then the flaps could be folded back to do the repair, and then put back flat when finished.

Although it was your right to insist the swing legs remained as they were embedded in concrete, it might be argued the manufacturer's recommendation to embed them in concrete is just that - a recommendation - and so long as they are sufficiently secured to the ground then what the grass installers did was technically Ok.

The grass installers should have explained the difficulty of laying the grass without removing the swing and asked you how you wanted to proceed.  In slightly different circumstances someone could be posting here complaining that artificial grass installers made long cuts through the grass to fit it around something, and the cuts are showing... and why didn't they just make small holes where they needed to?

blackstar said:

...

We told them we wanted swing left alone. They then asked again the day they came and said yes we want it left secure in place.

...

The exact wording of that conversation could be important - those words could mean you wanted the swing untouched, or it could mean you wanted the swing in the same place and secure when they finished the job.

blackstar

I have a text message from me to the company saying

"Hi *****, also ***** asked us if we wanted to keep the swing and the washing poles too and we said yes so also please let the guys know that we also want to keep the washing poles and the swing in case he forgot to mention it to them as won't be home till after 6pm. 

Thanks"

blackstar

Yes they are a respected company but dont have a shop front sadly. 
They are VAT registered and with companies house etc with a good reputation.

Can I please ask how legprot insurance would help in this situation? Thanks 

Seriously though to remove the cement footing from swing legs and leave the swing legs in loose stones and mud that you can just pull up the swing legs with no effort and then to cover it with synthetic grass that has to be ripped up to relay the cement footing after we told them we wanted to keep the swing in place is atrocious.