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AIBU?

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Original poster

Difficult customer

160 replies

Worzilgummidge · 09/04/2019 11:07

My tradesman dh has carried out a tiling job for a customer he did at a really cheap price has he is trying to build up his reputation.
So far he has a fair few happy customers who have given great reviews.
Unfortunately I'm not sure if we are currently experiencing the customer from hell.
He finished thier bathroom tiling job and the guy and his wife both came and had a look and said it was nice and paid up dh did his best to clean up and wiped the tiles over and they seemed nice and clean.
So on arriving back home he is bombarded on WhatsApp saying what a mess the tiles are with grout stuck on them the tiles are textured ridged so obviously grout as ingrained into the pattern obviously when dh wiped them over they where wet and once dry the grout haze etc came to light.
The guy was saying how can you leave a job like this and that his tiles where wrecked with blown up pictures of grout on tiles.
Dh acknowledged some responsibility for maybe not cleaning them so well and arranged to go back next day to clean them up well I also went to have a look and to be honest all that struck me at the time was how good it looked yes sure there was some grout ingrained.
Dh worked most of the day cleaning them up and at the end the guy took a look and said yes it's fine although he spotted a pin size of grout and pointed it out but he said no problem and thanks I came and wanted to have a look but the guy wouldn't let me see for some reason.
So again on arrival home dh is bombarded on WhatsApp about how he has wrecked his tiles and he has to pay somebody to come and fix it and that he should never do this to anybody else's bathroom and to stay away from grouting.
So what you think are we at fault.

OP posts:
Brigante9 · 09/04/2019 13:58

I came and wanted to have a look but the guy wouldn't let me see for some reason.

you sound bonkers - a trades wife turns up and wants to look at the job?? Are you for real??

To be fair, our tiler wanted his wife to see what he’d done in the bathroom when she came to pick him up one day, because the design we wanted was something he’s never done. It is amazing, can’t lie!

BrokenWing · 09/04/2019 13:59

I'm just looking at it from both sides nick

You aren't, you are looking it from your amateur dh's side. Poor dh has done his very best. That isn't good enough, he made the customer believe he was a tiler when he wasn't up to the job. At this stage he needs to agree compensation for the customer as he obviously isn't up to fixing it properly if he doesn't even know how to use grout remover. Refund his work and any costs to the customer for the tiles to be replaced.

BrokenWing · 09/04/2019 14:00

Does he have insurance?

AngeloMysterioso · 09/04/2019 14:05

were

and

commas!

TheViceOfReason · 09/04/2019 14:16

OP - if your DH didn't know that a single clean of the tiles would not suffice, then he is NOT a tiler in any way, shape or form.

A quick google and click on any of the link says to clean excess grout as you go and not let it harden, and it needs at least 2 - 3 wash / clean ups after and to check the tiles once dry.

As others have pointed out, a 3 day course and a bit of prior experience does not make a tiler.

I hope your DH didn't scratch the tiles when he did eventually get them cleaned up! If i was the customer i'd be thoroughly pissed off by this point and just want my money back and to then pay a professional to sort it out.

jetadore · 09/04/2019 14:24

TheViceofReason you haven't a clue what you're talking about. 2-3 wash ups is not normally needed, you clean once as you go then wipe the dust once everything's dry. Also you never 'wash' or add water to wet grout. But what you're talking about are 'normal' glazed tiles the actual problem here is the tiles were porous and absorbed the grout. When you grout these you have to seal them first and then not spread the grout all over like you'd 'normally' do. Once the grout is in the pores it's difficult if not impossible to get it out again.

XXcstatic · 09/04/2019 14:35

Seems like there's fault on both sides here, but do not offer any refund. Looks like the cutomer's not going to be happy whatever you do now so might as well be hanged for a sheep as for a lamb as they say

Great advice - if you want to end up with the client suing you under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 Hmm

If the tiling is of poor quality because of the grouting, offer a proportionate refund (hard to say what, without knowing how bad it is) and move on. Do not end up with a court finding against you - which will be Google-able, especially if it ends up on social media and/or the local paper's website.

Original poster
Worzilgummidge · 09/04/2019 14:38

Refund has been offered but waiting for a response

OP posts:
kaytee87 · 09/04/2019 14:40

He may have to offer to pay for new tiles too.

PeachesAndMayo · 09/04/2019 14:51

Pro tip - ALWAYS take good pictures of your finished job. You can use them both to advertise and to counter any complaints they might raise.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 09/04/2019 14:56

OP if he wants to make a successful business then I would advise he picks one trade and specialises in that. Advertising as tiler and plasterer screams “jack of all trades” and will put so many people off hiring him. The people that will hire him will be those happy to accept lower quality work and that’s work he can’t charge as much for because those people won’t be willing to pay for a tradesman, just a handyman.

CabbageHippy · 09/04/2019 15:17

how is he advertising himself as a tradesman when he has no experience in that trade?

jetadore · 09/04/2019 15:26

Great advice - if you want to end up with the client suing you under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

Yeh, the courts are chock full of cases involving people squabbling over a few hundred quids worth of tiling aren't they. Hmm
Everyone I know has a dodgy trdesman story, not one of them has taken anyone to court over it.

Nicknacky · 09/04/2019 15:32

Small claims court probably see these stories everyday. It’s not difficult to start the process and I wouldn’t hesitate if I was out of pocket because of a tradesman.

XXcstatic · 09/04/2019 15:32

Yeh, the courts are chock full of cases involving people squabbling over a few hundred quids worth of tiling aren't they

Exactly what the small claims track is for. We sued our bathroom fitters (after they refused to put right appalling work, described by their own supervisor as "a really rubbish job") and won.

Telling the OP not to offer a refund if the work is not of satisfactory quality is telling her to break the law. Luckily, she has had more sense.

Original poster
Worzilgummidge · 09/04/2019 15:42

What should Dh do Because his offer of a refund has been received but the guy hasn't responded.

OP posts:
Original poster
Worzilgummidge · 09/04/2019 15:43

Should he call him

OP posts:
Nicknacky · 09/04/2019 15:43

Just leave it there. He has offered it and it’s up to the guy to reply.

XXcstatic · 09/04/2019 15:44

Give the client a bit of time. He may be at work. If you haven't heard back by the end of the week, chase politely.

Try not to worry too much - you are doing the right thing. Everyone makes mistakes when they first start a business.

MadameDD · 09/04/2019 15:52

I just came on to say please ignore the 'advice' of someone such as jetadore who obviously knows not much about customer satisfaction and meaning of cheap/fast/good.

In this case it was 'cheap' which your DH accepted the job for.

You don't necessarily have to have courses in tiling etc - lots of people including my DB learned skills like tiling, plastering etc on the job from established professionals. More specific trades such as electrician, plumber etc - the people I know who have done this as jobs have gone to the correct college and studied if necessarily at college. My plumber (who can also do electrician work) studied in France at a technical college to do this - they are apparently far more qualified and respected there.

The only fault here jetadore was the customer not inspecting the tiles properly after the job was completed and also being duped into OP's DH being competent into cutting, grouting etc the tiles he couldn't do. Also OP - to be fair to the customer - a first look maybe he didn't think there was a problem - maybe tiles were wet as you stated, after dust had settled and they took a closer look then there was a problem. Put yourselves in the situation of the customer.

jetadore · 09/04/2019 16:08

Duped? "Oh this guys got no track record and he's undercut everyone else's price. Sounds like the ideal person for the specialist task of fitting my expensive stone tiles." I have little sympathy for people who don't use their common sense then start bleating when things go wrong.

outpinked · 09/04/2019 16:13

Odd to take his wife along to a job.

They do sound like idiots. I would simply block the number and possibly accept a negative review. One bad review out of a few isn’t bad. You have the money so just leave it at that, your DH tried to rectify it and they agreed it was fine so they’re trying their luck imo.

MadameDD · 09/04/2019 16:45

jetadore - unless I go back through OP's drip feeds of comments I can't see - but odubt it - that her DH told his customer that he had no track record but he did undercut the price.

I can well imagine the conversation "oh I can do tiling etc, no worries re the 'ridged (or whatever they were) tiles, yes I'm just starting out but perfectly capable etc". It sounds here like her DH spun the client/customer a line about he was competent and based on other favourable reviews of work which he (customer) presumably saw online then this customer quite rightly thought his tiling was in safe hands. Where's the common sense missing there?

In fact looking at her OP again - the customer has been quite fair, angry, quite reasonably at job not being finished properly but I can understand completely where he lost it at OP herself coming along to inspect the work. I think the customer has had to a few times, inspect the work the OP's DH has done to rectify his initial tardiness and lack of not knowing what he's doing.

outpinked - this man is just starting out his career as a tiler/plasterer - one bad review out of a few would be enough to make me question using him, personally. OP admitted herself in a later post that her DH actually wasn't really trained properly in tiling - he'd done a 3 day course and 'learned on the job' but he wasn't skilled in tiling.

That's like me doing a summer school (which I once did) in mosaics with a renowned mosaicist and then trying to take on commissions for mosaic work - which I wouldn't do.

MadameDD · 09/04/2019 16:50

jetadore - and judging by the way OP has spoken here - her DH 'does' have a track record of presumably satisfied customers - see her OP - and I personally think he's a bit of a blagger - so if he's saying to win the job - yes - "see online or hear from me, a fair few satisfied customers" as is in OP - then what's the client supposed to think? Also, it seems from the OP that her DH offered the job to client at a really cheap rate, that was totally his call to offer the job cheaply, to build up his client base - he could have quite happily refused to do the job cheaply.

BrokenWing · 09/04/2019 16:56

The guy hasn't responded as he probably has no idea what to do now. If he gets a refund what does he do with his probably hundreds of pounds worth of tiles that have basically been irretrievably ruined by your dh.

If it was me I'd be trying to speak to a professional tiler to find out it the situation can be salvaged, or if I need to seek compensation from your dh for the tiles.

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