Fitted furniture nightmare

Inwitari

I just bought my first home. It requires a lot more renovation than initially anticipated! I figured I would get some decent fitted furniture for the bedrooms whilst I work on the rest of the renovations myself to try to save money. I contracted a prominent, premium national wardrobe company charging over £6000 for 3 rooms.

2 of the rooms were booked to be completed beginning of February. The work lasted 3 days. Both rooms were awful. On top of this they had damaged other parts of the house, taking chunks out of the architraves and banister, stealing items from my bathroom and leaving pee all over the toilet seat. I complained and the company sent someone out to look at it - he agreed and mentioned that one of the fitters was on his "last warning" and would be sacked for this.

Going to cut this as short as I can but the highlights are:

-They forged my signature on 2 documents saying I would be "satisfied" if they replaced certain pieces of the furniture

-They argued with me about absolutely everything, kept me on the phone for hours telling me completely irrelevant stories about their grandchildren and how great their fitters are, and telling me how I need to use my home

-They refused to work any days apart from Mondays and Tuesdays on one of the rooms, meaning I had to take lots of time off work

-They had 4 attempts at fixing the little room without success. Eventually it became apparent that they couldn't actually do the thing they had designed. I requested it to be ripped out and to be given a refund. They sent me an email on a Friday booking an appointment for Sunday. I emailed them and told them that I hoped the appointment was to rip it out… it wasn't. I ended up in a stand off with this fitter sat on my driveway while I argued with their complaints department at 8am on a Sunday. Their office told me that my consumer rights didn't apply and said they would charge me 85% of the job as well as the fitter's time for that day if I didn't let him in.

-They told me multiple times that they would see me in court and that I would lose

-They eventually ripped out the little room and they have left it an absolute mess - the whole floor will have to be replaced as they've drilled holes into it, as well as the walls re-plastered, repainted and new skirting

-They ripped out the larger room and put it back… but it's still wrong. They sent someone out to survey it who pointed out even more faults that I initially realised and has told me that more than half of it will have to be ripped out again to set it right

A few weeks ago said they would compensate me for the little room, but they have backtracked and are now saying that they will only refund me for the little room and repay the costs of putting the room back the way it was. I have had 4 days off work for something that wasn't actually possible because they misrepresented what they could do, never mind all the extra time documenting all the faults and speaking to them. They have also said they won't give me the refund until the bigger room is completed and I have paid the costs for the redecoration of the little room. I have been trying desperately to get decorators - but no one is getting back to me. Even the time chasing tradespeople and the time I will have to take off so they can come and put the room back the way it was is going to be huge.

In relation to the bigger room - they have suggested a fix that would only require about 1/4 of the installation being ripped out rather than more than 1/2. That would mean I would have to live with a chunk of the defects. They have offered me £400 off for this. They have not mentioned compensation or putting this room back the way it was (they cut a hole in the wall that didn't need to be cut). They said if I want it all fixed it will take 3 days (and they will only work Monday/Tuesday - using the same fitter who messed it up the last time) and they will give me £220 compensation for the "repeated revisits" (i.e. triple the amount of time it was supposed to take and nearly 2 full rip outs).

It has been over 14 weeks and I have been unable to use these rooms with no end in sight. I am so angry and upset at the refusal to consider compensation on the little room when they missold it, and then dragged the process out even further when it was clear they couldn't do it. I also don't think I can keep looking at the defects in the bigger room for only a £400 reduction, and they are holding my refund to ransom despite the fact that the rooms are on different contracts.

Any advice on what to do next?

Aylesbury_Duck

There's a lot to read there, but am I right to conclude that you've paid them in full for two jobs, £6000+, and they're offering to refund you £620, across both jobs?

Inwitari

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82005036#Comment_82005036

I've paid them 90% of the £6000+. They are offering £220 total compensation. I've had to take leave and sit in over 10 days for jobs that were supposed to take 3 days, and I've been waiting over 14 weeks with 2 unusable rooms. I need to source my own people to fix all the damage that they've done (joiner, floorer, plasterer, decorator) and sit in with them while they do it.

webmasterpolo

How did you pay? Credit card perhaps offers some support?

Aylesbury_Duck

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82005334#Comment_82005334

You need to decide what amount is needed to put everything right and to compensate you for genuine losses.

Why were the rooms unusable?

Was your leave paid leave?

Once you have a sensible and justified claim, write to them setting it out. You have small claims court as an option, or your credit card provider is an option if you paid for any of it on credit card (and if it is two jobs, you would have had to pay some of each bill on credit card to have the option on both.

born_again

Who is this prominent, premium national wardrobe company?

It's safe to name them

Inwitari

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82005384#Comment_82005384

Credit card, luckily for all of it. All the consequential losses and fixes are going to take a while to tot up if I have to submit a section 75!