Builder ruined our new carpet!

[ireallyhavenoidea]

Hi All

After some advice on what we can expect please.

After what seems like the world's longest renovation (let down by various contractors throughout the past 6 months), we have just had our bathroom tiled. Mostly lovely but the fitter has scratched our (very expensive) bath in a few places (made worse because there is black grout in it at the moment!) and got black grout on the carpet on some of the stair treads (about 6) and a couple of large patches in the spare room.

We have obviously complained, the fitter apologised and said he would pay to have the bath repaired and the carpets cleaned. BUT, it is a brand new bath and a brand new carpet. We don't live there yet. I am so gutted!

Will black grout come out of a cream carpet (I am guessing perhaps not)? Will cleaning stretch the carpets and make them a bit crappy fitting? We just spent over £2k carpeting the house and this will look awful!

It is a 'proper' bathroom fitter with a shop. Can I presume he will have insurance of some kind?

Thanks for any advice in advance

[elfycat]

Do you have legal cover on your house/content insurance? If so I'd alert them to the issues and they may be able to sort this out if it's not being rectified, or offer advice.

I'd be asking the manager of the shop to do a site visit to discuss the issues and make it plain that 100% of the grout and scratches need to be sorted, with a guarantee on the bath repairs (I would be looking for replacement).

[BackforGood]

Agree with elfycat but internally wondering why on earth you would lay a cream stair carpet when you still had building work going on - surely that would be the last thing to do once the other workmen were gone ?

[ireallyhavenoidea]

Thanks for the replies.

BackforGood - yes it was scheduled to be the last thing but we were let down by ou original builders. On discussion with the bathroom fitters we had the carpet fitted, already delayed twice, because they could contain the mess, or so they said. Likewise the house was painted before this work was done... But I can touch up the paintwork.

The bath has been tiled in so not sure how we could get it out to replace it without affecting all of our other (expensive!) tiles...

Grrrrr....

[HansieMom]

I think this calls for new bathtub and new carpet. That person was incredibly careless. I would not go for repairing scratches. You had a new, unblemished bathtub and you still should.

[BackforGood]

Well, definitely be looking for the bathroom fitters to replace it then, if you'd had the discussion with them and they'd assured you it wouldn't be a problem.

[annalouiseh]

dont use your own insurance for their damages, all trades are covered or should be covered by liability insurance for this.
or your insurance will go up, so again will cost your £'s
your in the right and they should sort it, if the matter went further (of course you don't want this) they would have to pay and if you reject to use them they will have to pay the new fitters to put right along with the materials, so would be there best interest to sort it

[ireallyhavenoidea]

Well we spoke to the boss and he agreed to clean it and then, if necessary, replace it. And he will get the scratches in the bath seen to.

Thanks for all your responses!

Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly from here!