To think my builder shouldn't have done this?

[Dolwar]

We are having a new kitchen installed. Builder ordered it from Howdens which is a trade only place. It has been stored in his garage as he's been making the doors himself. He put the order on account under our name and we phoned up and paid for it directly. Due to the cost of the order, Howdens threw in a free radio with Iphone dock/USB. Our builder already had one so we knew what it was and we thought it would be really useful for in the shed or garden doing diy so we were pretty chuffed to see it on the invoice.
Fast forward for the week of fitting the kitchen. I asked the builder to bring the radio and he's told me he sold it because he already had one.
AIBU to think that it wasn't his to sell? I know he ordered the kitchen on his trade account but we paid for it and it's on our invoice. Hubby will be fuming

I'd let it go... and treat yourselves to a radio when the kitchen is finished.

The account is his the order was in the OP's name not the same thing.

£25k and you're worried about a radio for a few quid? If that's all you have to worry about in a house refurb you're doing brilliantly!
The reason the OP can afford £25k is because they look after the pennies.

How do you even know about this radio?

I think as it is his account, the contract is with him, and therefore his radio.

Is he doing a good job with the building work? Good builders are like hen's teeth, it's not wprth falling out over a radio.

The reason the OP can afford £25k is because they look after the pennies.

How do you know?! Also, that only makes sense if they had specifically been going to buy that radio anyway.

If you bought your kitchen through a non trade company it would have cost you a lot more than the price of a radio , how grabby can you be , my goodness

I would, personally, for the sake of the fact he's doing a lot of work on your house let this slide.

You can never miss what you never had! If you had specifically bought the kitchen for this perk then fair enough (though that would be ) but it was an added customer bonus, probably designed for their trade clients who usually work with radios etc.

If it was some sort of tool or specialist gauge etc would you be as bothered. If you hadn't seen it on the invoice would you be as bothered? I doubt it.

I've just Googled 'Howdens free radio' and it would appear that a) it's a gift for setting up the trade account, and b) it's fucking hideous.

He's definitely done you a favour. YABU.

Sadly we are not affording the money and have to borrow it from my parents.
We bought the house of our dreams only to find the surveyor had missed the fact that it was infested with woodworm to the point that it was structurally unsound and we are ripping out all the floors and joists. This was discovered when we ripped the kitchen out in February half term.we've also found out that the previous owners knew all about it but didn't disclose. We are trying to sue using our home insurance as we can't afford a solicitor otherwise. Currently we are both hugely overdrawn and working extra shifts in work just to get by. So please don't judge how much money we do or don't have.

YABU 😕

What does any of that have to do with the builder though?

I think I'd let it slide too. I think he should have passed it in to you but I also don't think it's that bad that he kept it.

Lol, I'm on the fence but leaning your way.

I agree that if you are having £25K worth of work done it's best not to worry over some things.

Ugh, woodworm, that's awful.

So in that case you need to take the surveyor too court and claim on thier insurance

OP that's a terrible shame for you. Hope you get sorted soon.

If OP was notified of the offer on an invoice in her name, then unless the wording said otherwise, I would think she is entitled to the free gift.

Somebody suggested the offer was associated with opening a trade account - but OP has said the builder had already received a radio.

YABU. His account, his radio. I work at a builders' merchants and it was really good of him to give you the kitchen at trade rather than marking it up.

I think it's quite unusual to pay Howdens direct, IIRC they usually invoice the account holder who will then invoice you with a mark up. If that's the case then I'd say let the radio go, as you've probably saved a chunk of money paying trade prices.

I agree though that your financial situation has FA to do with it.

I think your anger towards your previous owner and the surveyor, which is quite justified, is spilling over onto your builder, where it isn't. Pick your battles and keep reminding yourselves that what you're really upset about is the debacle over the woodworm, and the radio is completely irrelevant, and I agree with everyone else who says it belongs to him and his account anyway, not to you.
Sorry you've had such a shit time buying your lovely home, but don't make more trouble for yourselves over this, it really isn't worth it.

I agree though that your financial situation has FA to do with it

I'm assuming OP only mentioned it because someone on here said that they are clearly doing well to afford £25k and therefore can afford to buy their own radio.... OP did not bring up their financial situation until someone wrongly questioned it!

It's not uncommon for builders to provide material at trade prices. They sometimes have a deal with suppliers, where they will recommend a specific supplier and the supplier will recommend the builder for fitting. Therefore, the argument you should be grateful you got it at that price doesn't apply here.

Those saying, why worry about a radio if you're spending £25k: you could also turn it around and ask, why would the builder be unkind and sell the radio when he's already earning on this big job?

I would say, yanbu to be pissed off, but it was really the builder's decision. I would have also presumed the radio was mine. Might be his account, but the whole order was only placed because you requested it so. Without you, no order and no radio, which means that it was also your decision what you wanted to do with the radio.

Saying that, don't make a big deal out if it. Best to remain good friends with the person who is fitting your kitchen!

I only wrote about the reason for the refurbishment in response to those saying we were clearly stinking rich. I'm not saying it has anything to do with the radio. I've persuaded hubby to let that slide.

As I've said already, we are taking legal action but it's a long slow process and the surveyor is fighting it. But like someone said so kindly, this has FA to do with it.

Oh I understand that, I didn't mean for it to come across that way, I was trying to agree with the OP

Yabu. I have trade accounts with many different suppliers and I often get rewards on my accounts. The rewards are for me as the account holder certainly not for my customers.

(((((((((((Hugs))))))))))))) OP