Marks Electrical TV wall mounting – unsafe install and refused reimbursement

Prizlers

We paid Marks Electrical for a professional TV wall-mounting service and unfortunately had an extremely poor, stressful and costly experience that has still not been resolved nearly three months later.

From the outset, the process was problematic. The first installation visit failed completely — the installers did not even attempt to install the TV. We were told that the mount we had ordered (a full-motion bracket) was not suitable for a plasterboard wall. However, according to our own electrician/builder, this mount would have been perfectly suitable if installed correctly into the solid structure behind the plasterboard.

We were then required to pay again for a second visit for Marks Electrical to return and attempt the installation once more.

During the second visit, the installers made multiple attempts to fix the mount, drilling numerous holes into the wall. Despite this, the final result was a TV mount that was clearly unstable. The bracket was not sitting flush to the wall, could be moved by hand, and was visibly pulling away from the wall at an angle.

We explicitly raised concerns at the time. We were verbally reassured by the installers — as “professional TV installers” — that the TV was safe. Under pressure, with two installers trying to leave after a long and frustrating visit, we signed the installation completion form in good faith, trusting their professional judgement.

This trust turned out to be misplaced.

Once the installers had left and we were able to properly assess the situation, it was immediately obvious that the installation was not safe. We have a toddler in the house, and a 65-inch TV falling from the wall would pose a serious risk of injury or worse. Because of this, we removed the TV from the wall ourselves shortly after installation.

The wall had been left with numerous drilled holes, broken fixings and visible damage from the failed attempts.

We contacted Marks Electrical promptly and provided photos and videos clearly showing:

• The mount coming away from the wall

• Fixings pulling in and out

• Broken plasterboard plugs

• The number of holes left behind

At this point, Marks Electrical acknowledged that the installation had been poor. We were explicitly told that if we obtained a quote to repair the wall, they would look to cover the cost of repair.

Acting in good faith, we arranged for a local electrician/builder to inspect the wall. He confirmed that the installation had been carried out incorrectly and resolved the issue by using appropriate, longer fixings into the solid structure behind the plasterboard — something Marks Electrical’s installers failed to do. He also repaired the damaged wall.

We provided the official invoice for this work to Marks Electrical, exactly as requested.

After receiving the invoice, Marks Electrical reversed their position entirely, citing the signed installation form — despite previously acknowledging that the installation was poor.

As a result, we are now approximately £200 out of pocket, made up of:

• The original paid installation

• The additional charge for a return visit

• £100 paid to a local professional to repair the wall and mount the TV safely (which is very reasonable)

We allowed Marks Electrical ample time to resolve this matter privately and repeatedly stated that we had not left any negative reviews while we waited for a fair resolution. Unfortunately, after promising to cover the repair and then backing out, communication has effectively stalled and the issue has been brushed off.

This experience has been disappointing not only because of the poor quality of the installation, but because of the way the complaint has been handled afterwards.

I would strongly caution anyone considering paying for installation services from Marks Electrical — particularly in homes with plasterboard walls — and would recommend thinking very carefully before trusting safety-critical work to this service.

sheramber

Prizlers said:

We paid Marks Electrical for a professional TV wall-mounting service and unfortunately had an extremely poor, stressful and costly experience that has still not been resolved nearly three months later.

From the outset, the process was problematic. The first installation visit failed completely — the installers did not even attempt to install the TV. We were told that the mount we had ordered (a full-motion bracket) was not suitable for a plasterboard wall. However, according to our own electrician/builder, this mount would have been perfectly suitable if installed correctly into the solid structure behind the plasterboard.

We were then required to pay again for a second visit for Marks Electrical to return and attempt the installation once more.

During the second visit, the installers made multiple attempts to fix the mount, drilling numerous holes into the wall. Despite this, the final result was a TV mount that was clearly unstable. The bracket was not sitting flush to the wall, could be moved by hand, and was visibly pulling away from the wall at an angle.

We explicitly raised concerns at the time. We were verbally reassured by the installers — as “professional TV installers” — that the TV was safe. Under pressure, with two installers trying to leave after a long and frustrating visit, we signed the installation completion form in good faith, trusting their professional judgement.

This trust turned out to be misplaced.

Once the installers had left and we were able to properly assess the situation, it was immediately obvious that the installation was not safe. We have a toddler in the house, and a 65-inch TV falling from the wall would pose a serious risk of injury or worse. Because of this, we removed the TV from the wall ourselves shortly after installation.

The wall had been left with numerous drilled holes, broken fixings and visible damage from the failed attempts.

We contacted Marks Electrical promptly and provided photos and videos clearly showing:

• The mount coming away from the wall

• Fixings pulling in and out

• Broken plasterboard plugs

• The number of holes left behind

At this point, Marks Electrical acknowledged that the installation had been poor. We were explicitly told that if we obtained a quote to repair the wall, they would look to cover the cost of repair.

Acting in good faith, we arranged for a local electrician/builder to inspect the wall. He confirmed that the installation had been carried out incorrectly and resolved the issue by using appropriate, longer fixings into the solid structure behind the plasterboard — something Marks Electrical’s installers failed to do. He also repaired the damaged wall.

We provided the official invoice for this work to Marks Electrical, exactly as requested.

After receiving the invoice, Marks Electrical reversed their position entirely, citing the signed installation form — despite previously acknowledging that the installation was poor.

As a result, we are now approximately £200 out of pocket, made up of:

• The original paid installation

• The additional charge for a return visit

• £100 paid to a local professional to repair the wall and mount the TV safely (which is very reasonable)

We allowed Marks Electrical ample time to resolve this matter privately and repeatedly stated that we had not left any negative reviews while we waited for a fair resolution. Unfortunately, after promising to cover the repair and then backing out, communication has effectively stalled and the issue has been brushed off.

This experience has been disappointing not only because of the poor quality of the installation, but because of the way the complaint has been handled afterwards.

I would strongly caution anyone considering paying for installation services from Marks Electrical — particularly in homes with plasterboard walls — and would recommend thinking very carefully before trusting safety-critical work to this service.

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ButterCheese

Prizlers said:

Under pressure, with two installers trying to leave after a long and frustrating visit, we signed the installation completion form

You should not have signed the form - this is an expensive lesson.  Unless they held a weapon to your head, you were not "under pressure" to sign anything.  Any recourse now will be very difficult, given that you have stated on paper that you were happy with the job.  

But, you can still treat this the same as if they had installed it properly, but the next day it became loose.  I would keep ringing them to ask for a refund, as the job was not of satisfactory quality, even though at the time of completion you signed to say it was.