workmen chipping a new bath -should these guys not learn how to avoid this?

[Longstocking2]

I had a new bathroom put in last year and while the plumber was fitting the taps I heard a horrendous crash and ran upstairs and he's dropped the taps into the bath and chipped it really noticeably, then he bewailed it for ages after and said it had never happened to him before etc etc. But of course I made him replace the bath and he moaned endlessly that that was his profit on the job gone etc etc.
So a friend of mine is having her bathroom done and the same thing has happened but the chip was not as visible and she paid him before she noticed it. So any way he is 'repairing it' whatever that means but she's so upset. She's been saving up for about 6 years to do her bathroom and is kicking herself that she missed it.
My sister told me that this is very very common and that plumbers, tilers etc just try to get away with it.
Another friend (who does much bigger renovation jobs) says it's very common too but they line all the bathroom furniture with this stuff that protects it from damage during installation.

Does anyone else know why workmen like this don't learn to not do it?

We had the same problem with MFI years ago (thankfully they no longer trade). Someone put a hole in the bath -the tiler blamed the plumber and the plumber blamed the tiler. It took a while for MFI to replace the bath and yes, there was lots of moaning all round.

Well, accidents do happen (our friends are just having a new bathroom, and the guys dropped the hand-basin down the stairs while they were carrying it up!!) but a good workman protects his surroundings. Normally they put a folded dustsheet into baths/showers to prevent chips.

I think they'd learn soon enough if they had to pay for all their damage!