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AIBU?

Who's in the wrong?

76 replies

Kellykelly23 · 23/10/2017 14:29

Last week I took my dad who is 88 to the local carpet shop for a new living room carpet.
He had been saving £20 out of his pension for months now and we chose a lovely one that came to £520 including underlay.
They told us they would be here to fit at 2pm on Sunday (yesterday)
My husband goes to my dad yesterday morning and rips up his old carpet and we wait.
Gets to 2.30pm and nobody has been.
I call the mobile number for the shop and the man says "the carpet fitter text your dad yesterday asking if he still wanted them fitted tomorrow and your dad didn't reply"
I said " my dad doesn't have a clue how to check his messages,he has a basic phone (it was £20) and only uses it so I can call him.
I only gave the shop it for emergencys.
I said you agreed a time with us,why would we assume you weren't turning up?
He said not our problem ..next fitting date is 12th Nov 3pm...
Is this bullshit?

OP posts:
araiwa · 23/10/2017 14:31

Why on earth did you give them your dads number?

Still shitty of them too

LostInShoebiz · 23/10/2017 14:31

It is BS. I wouldn't expect to arrange a professional/tradesman appointment over text.

Kellykelly23 · 23/10/2017 14:32

It was the first thing that popped in my head.
As we already arranged times and dates I didn't think anything of it.
If the fitter had rang my dad he would answer but he's lost when it comes to texts.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 23/10/2017 14:32

Just sounds like a mix up really. If they are given a contact number I can understand them using that to make contact - and for a mobile phone then I would assume text was an acceptable form of contact.

Ideally they would have made contact again to check when no response was received though.

MissConductUS · 23/10/2017 14:33

Check your dad's phone to see if the text is really there. I'll bet they just didn't feel like doing it on a Sunday.

Have you already paid? If not, consider finding another shop.

SheRaaarghPrincessOfPower · 23/10/2017 14:33

I'd cancel the order and go elsewhere

DunkMeInTomatoSoup · 23/10/2017 14:34

Miscommunication. They did however communicate on the number you gave them. Emergencies work two ways - they couldnt meet their obligations, and called you on the number you gave them. Had the emergency been yours, presumbably you would have called them.

I would also say its good practive for any self employed person, as carpet fitters generally are, to double check whether the appoitment is still needed. Your father may well have been indisposed, as any client may well have been. No one can afford to lose a days money.

honeysucklejasmine · 23/10/2017 14:34

Why on earth did they do that? Surely if he didn't want them to, he'd say. Ridiculous.

DunkMeInTomatoSoup · 23/10/2017 14:35

*apologies for the speed typos

Kellykelly23 · 23/10/2017 14:36

What makes me confused is I rang them at 2.30 pm why couldn't they come then?
If they were meant to come at 2?
Also we had paid for fitting so clearly we wanted it fitting.

OP posts:
Kellykelly23 · 23/10/2017 14:36

The carpet fitter is actually the owners son as its a family run business.
When I rang the owner I could hear the fitter in the back ground saying something

OP posts:
chickenowner · 23/10/2017 14:40

Cancel and go elsewhere. Not good enough.

Topseyt · 23/10/2017 14:42

It would have been better, with hindsight, to have given them your own number rather than your Dad's.

My parents are not tech savvy people and would be like this. They have no computers or internet of any description. Just an old brick of a mobile phone which they rarely even switch on. They can just about make or answer the odd call on it but would be clueless about texts, and just wouldn't want to know anyway.

Ring up the carpet shop and say that if they cannot give an earlier fitting date than this then your Dad will want his money back so that he can look for somewhere willing to offer better service. Give your own number for contact purposes.

aaaaargghhhhelpme · 23/10/2017 14:43

So was there a text from them on Saturday?

I would say it's odd to have something booked and then cancelled because your dad didn't respond. I would expect a call if they didn't get a text reply.

Ceto · 23/10/2017 14:54

Emergencies work two ways - they couldnt meet their obligations, and called you on the number you gave them. Had the emergency been yours, presumbably you would have called them.

Where on earth do you get that from, Dunkmein? The fitters didn't have an emergency, they just decided for some bizarre reason that OP's Dad might no longer want his carpet fitted on the prearranged date.

Ceto · 23/10/2017 14:56

Point out to the carpet shop that they had a contractual obligation to fit it on Sunday: they never said that they would want the appointment confirmed, and your father certainly didn't cancel it. Tell them they therefore need to comply with their contractual agreement as a matter of urgency.

londonrach · 23/10/2017 14:56

Complain. Silly way to do business. I suspect they mucked up.

Gileswithachainsaw · 23/10/2017 15:00

Business texts are usually just confirmation texts

"We are looking forward to seeing you at 10am for X giles"

And how arenthey unable to come anyway it was half an hour they easily could have been late witg traffic anyway.

LucieLucie · 23/10/2017 15:00

Carpet shop are in the wrong. Date and time of fitting was agreed and booked.

They’ve rescinded the booking because of a text message??

I’d get on the phone to them and advise them to get their fitter round to your grandads house pronto (today) otherwise they’ll be receiving a lot of negative publicity leaving and elderly man with no flooring coming into winter.

Absolutely shocking service.

unfortunateevents · 23/10/2017 15:02

Regardless of whether they should or shouldn't have relied on a late-notice text cancelling the appt.it is BS to suggest that the next date for fitting is 12 Nov. Are they suggesting that if someone goes into their shop and orders carpet today they could not have it fitted until mid November - or later?! I appreciate some carpets have a longer lead time but that really can't be true that they have no availability until then!

Kellykelly23 · 23/10/2017 15:10

It was weird because he said is Sunday 2pm ok ? I said it's great because il be at dads then I signed my name.
They won't refund as the carpet has been cut to dads specific measurements.
So up shits creek

OP posts:
Gileswithachainsaw · 23/10/2017 15:11

I reckon they double booked.

You do not cancel or make appointments via text.

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Kellykelly23 · 23/10/2017 15:11

I said that to the owner,I've rang you now so can they not come now?
He said il drive around see if I can find the fitter but I heard the fitter (his son ) mumbling in background

OP posts:
notnowthough · 23/10/2017 15:13

I think if you paid to have the carpets fitted yesterday and they did not deliver then you can reasonably ask for a refund. Maybe ask trading standards what they think. It doesn't sound as if they made any mention of possibly not turning unless your dad replied to their text.

honeyroar · 23/10/2017 15:14

That's really poor of them.

Tell them you've got an 88yr old man without a carpet because of it, can they not fit him in? It has never taken any carpet fitter more than an hour or two to fit any carpets I've had.

If they won't help I'd resort to local Facebook/Twitter pages. You might even find someone who would fit if for you even if it doesn't shame them into fitting it.

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