Plumbing costs

[Juststopamoment]

I’m posting here because I’m not sure which forum to post in.

I had a leak coming through the ceiling from the bathroom to the living room. I guessed it was from the toilet but wasn’t sure. I thought while the plumber was here I would get the bath resealed. Turned out the toilet pan was cracked and he had to replace it but then he found the cistern had a crack so he replaced that as well. Both times he left the house to get them. It took +5 and he had to come back the next day to reseal the bath. It cost me over £1000 to get this all done when I thought it would be around £600.

The new toilet isn’t flushing properly and it turns out it’s faulty so will need to be replaced. The plumbing company is saying that I need to pay for the plumber to come out and fix it. I think that I have already paid over the odds for this and they should not charge me. Their thinking is that it isn’t their fault. What do Mumsnetters think?

In theory it isn’t their fault but How wasn’t it checked by the plumber before he left? Surely they should have ensured it was working correctly before leaving.
It seems a bit suss that first the pan was cracked and then the cistern.

I guess as a last resort you could take it up with the company who sold the faulty toilet but I wouldn’t be happy about having to pay. Not sure how you could force them to do it free though.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/problem-with-home-improvements/

Thanks for you reply RahRah. That’s exactly what I think as well. It wasn’t checked before they left so it’s their fault and the suppliers fault but it’s not my fault in the slightest and I’ve already paid them over £1000 for a toilet that is actually worse than my old one! I can’t force them but I really don’t think I should pay.

Very odd that the plumber didn't check it was working!

The supplier should replace parts FoC and the plumber should fit out of goodwill (he's already stung you tbh) but I don't know if you could force him.

Assuming it's the syphon at fault any half decent handy person should be able to replace at a much cheaper rate.

Surplus2requirements what does FoC mean? They are saying it’s the way the toilet pan has been made that’s at fault. The water is flushing only slightly from one side and then a huge amount of water from one section. My old toilet, even though it was leaking, still flushed properly.

This is a big local company rather than an independent plumber.

@Juststopamoment FoC= Free of charge

So it's a manufacturing fault.
The retailer will likely replace but won't offer anything towards the cost of having it refitted.

As the fault is hidden, nobody could be reasonably expected to detect it or be able to remedy it until after installation so not really the plumbers fault.

That said its possible something has been dropped in the top of the pan blocking waterflow to one side during installation. No way to know without taking the cistern off.

If it is a manufacturing fault the manufacturer may offer a small amount as goodwill but doubt they'd cover all costs without a legal case.

As the plumbing company bought it in the first place return and replacement will have to be done through them.

As the fault wasn't theirs they'd be within their rights to charge you all over again 😐

If it helps I'd normally figure on about an hour to replace a pan including removal and refit of cistern and reseal around base.
2 hours for a new cistern because it involves assembly.
I also generally advise customers to try and find competent handy persons for everything that doesn't involve altering pipework

@Surplus2requirements Thank you. They charged me a whole day to do this and I still don’t have a properly working toilet. I absolutely hate getting plumbers in. I feel I always get overcharged because I’m a woman on my own.

And the plumber also didn’t reseal the toilet at the bottom.

That's poor practice especially as they resealed the bath.

It's fair enough to charge for time collecting parts etc but you're not alone feeling ripped off.
I'm a general builder and do the vast majority of plumbing on my jobs but I've not got a gas ticket so when I have to get a firm in I feel the same.

Update, they are doing it free of charge! @Surplus2requirements I used a few things you said so that helped. Thank you.

@Juststopamoment Result!

Happy flushing