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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to expect £750 compensation

29 replies

Ellie1995 · 06/03/2021 22:43

A joiner came today to hang 5 internal doors. We supplied the doors at a cost of £430 and paid the joiner £320 for his work.

The joiner was a young lad who seemed hardworking, friendly etc - not a cowboy by any means. He worked hard all day to hang the doors and I paid him in full before he left.

When my husband later looked at the doors he discovered that the work was extremely shoddy (I didn’t know what I was looking at when I inspected it earlier). The doors have been unevenly planed, leaving large gaps in places, and some of the hinges haven’t been recessed etc. Unfortunately this means that the job is beyond fixing - the doors have been ruined and we will need to buy new and start again.

I rung the joiner and explained we were unhappy with the work and he is coming to discuss tomorrow. AIBU to request that he refund us £750 to cover his work and the doors?

OP posts:
ScaredOfDinosaurs · 06/03/2021 22:52

Clearly he was a cowboy, just a good actor!

The price for labour seems high if he did it all in one day. I think you've been ripped off. Hanging doors to a questionable standard isn't hard, did my own after watching a YouTube video. They are still fine, five years later.

I would bet he's just a complete chancer with zero experience. How does one days work = £320 even with VAT? That's £40 per hour if you call it 8 hours work.

OliveHenry · 06/03/2021 22:54

Can they really be so bad if you didn't notice any issues at all when you checked?

StellaDendrite · 06/03/2021 22:56

YANBU

I agree twitch the PP that it’s not that hard to hand doors. Take lots of photos and ask him to either repair them or give you compensation. Good luck.

Original poster
Ellie1995 · 06/03/2021 22:56

Fair point about being a cowboy!
To be fair he did have an apprentice with him to pay and charged the going rate to hang 5 doors (I got a few quotes).
But obviously he doesn’t have the skills/experience to do a good job.
Now wondering what my chances are of having to pay out another £750 to start again from scratch...

OP posts:
JobRetentionScheme · 06/03/2021 23:02

I had exactly the same issue and Im just making do with the job but he ruined my doors !!!

The joiner was recommended too.

Good luck

HelloDaisy · 06/03/2021 23:03

If he has not competed the job properly and the doors are ruined and not fit for purpose then you are right to complain. I would expect him to either fix the issues on all of them or if that’s not possible then he should replace and rehang or refund you the full cost. I run a trade business and that’s what we would do if our workmanship wasn’t up to standard.

If you have problems then contact Trading Standards at your local council for advice.

Newkitchen123 · 06/03/2021 23:05

I can't understand how the doors are so bad that they need to be replaced and yet you didn't notice.

Original poster
Ellie1995 · 06/03/2021 23:09

In response to the people stating I should have noticed, I looked briefly and am now kicking myself for not looking more closely. With the COVID situation and being 25 weeks pregnant, I felt under pressure to limit the length of any contact

OP posts:
Denny53 · 06/03/2021 23:10

@Newkitchen123

I can't understand how the doors are so bad that they need to be replaced and yet you didn't notice.
Exactly! How could you have not noticed the doors were so badly fitted, you thought them good enough for you to then pay him in full. Maybe you should have waited for your husband to come home, inspect them and pay him. I think if you accepted his work and paid him, you probably haven’t got a leg to stand on
Denny53 · 06/03/2021 23:12

@Ellie1995

In response to the people stating I should have noticed, I looked briefly and am now kicking myself for not looking more closely. With the COVID situation and being 25 weeks pregnant, I felt under pressure to limit the length of any contact
Limit the length of any contact ? To a workman who had been in your house all day?
NoProblem123 · 06/03/2021 23:12

YABU to be the one to sign off on the works when by your own admission you didn’t know what you were looking at.

Original poster
Ellie1995 · 06/03/2021 23:13

Him being in another room with windows open and doors shut between him and myself is completely different to me being on a small landing in close proximity to him...

OP posts:
Newkitchen123 · 06/03/2021 23:16

He didn't need to be next to you while you inspected the work.

Babygotblueyes · 06/03/2021 23:34

When my builders broke my induction hob they immediately said they would have to pay for it if it could not be replaced free of charge. So seems like if he ruined something you had, then he should pay.

MrsClatterbuck · 07/03/2021 00:26

We had two lovely glass globe shades in our hall. Both got broken by different joiners. We had got them from Christopher Wray but couldn't get replacements but they did deduct the cost from our bill.

Cobb121 · 07/03/2021 07:09

I’d put money on him not coming back..

DorisLessingsCat · 07/03/2021 07:41

Hanging doors can be hard, especially in an older property with no right angles. It's one job my DH doesn't like to tackle and he has a lot of carpentry/joinery skills.

Do your homework OP, make a list of what you are not happy about and be firm.

dontdisturbmenow · 07/03/2021 08:19

You could have looked after he left and called right away.

It sounds like your OH has different standards to you. The guy worked to your expectations.

Unless you can evidence that he has done a very poor job, I can't imagine him agreeing to pay everything. You'll have to take him to court and convince a huge of the very bad quality.

What you do have is the option of putti g a negative review.

Same4Walls · 07/03/2021 08:25

Do you have pictures of the doors? Like others I honestly cannot see how they are apparently so poorly hung but you said they were fine and paid him. Is it possible that it's just a case of your DH having different expectations to you?

I really cannot see how they are now apparently beyond repair but they looked fine to you. Even a cursory glace would have been enough to see they were not fitted properly.

TwatWaffleTwinkleToes · 07/03/2021 08:39

I think if the job is not up to standard then he needs to make good. Which can include replacing the doors (not necessarily just giving you the money for them as he may get them cheaper via trade) and rehanging them or removing them and refunding the Labour cost so you can have the new doors hung by someone else.

Not sure just leaving them in situ and giving you all your money back, inc door cost, is something I would expect though.

HappyTodayForNow · 07/03/2021 08:45

My nephew is a carpenter he charges £45 to hang a door, he is fully qualified and i have to say good at his job. So although ths price seems high to you for me i dont think its about right (havent worked out the figures exactly its a bit early for me) in his words you get what you pay for.

I think your husband maybe right ans its been left in a state but no money should have been handed over until you either looked properly or your hisband should have been there to inspect if he has a better eye. I think its unreasonable to ask for all the money back to get it redone and would like be refused i think thats more reasonable is you ask them to come back and fix their bodge job and make sure your husband is there to inspect but if your arsey or nasty with them i wouldnt expect much help or if you do it very quickly

Oblomov21 · 07/03/2021 08:48

I'm surprised too. Perhaps you should have agreed that your Dh would inspect them when he got home from work, before paying.

We've had 13 new doors hung last year and very pleased with them. They've moved a lot in the last year and have thus since needed readjusting by Dh.

Aprilx · 07/03/2021 08:50

@Ellie1995

In response to the people stating I should have noticed, I looked briefly and am now kicking myself for not looking more closely. With the COVID situation and being 25 weeks pregnant, I felt under pressure to limit the length of any contact
But why would you need to look closely if the doors are ruined. Surely a simple action of opening and closing a door would have been sufficient to identify ruined doors.
Plumedenom · 07/03/2021 08:51

I'd expect money back and I'd be requesting the whole lot. Tell him he can keep the old ones for his next job if he thinks they are recoverable! Those saying she should have noticed, she's not an expert. She didn't "sign off on the work", she paid. What if it fell of its hinges next week or got stuck? What if you took your car to the garage and then you later got it home to be told by someone who knew cars that it'd was a bodge job? Would you not go back?!

BurgundyBells · 07/03/2021 08:59

You can ask but I'd eat my hat if he hands over £750. Maybe he'll be willing to issue a partial refund of his fitting fee...no chance is he going to refund it all though plus the door costs.

The car comparison is nonsense. A car is a machine in which most working parts are hidden and require specialist knowledge of to troubleshoot problems.

My ten year old could look at a door and identify large uneven gaps or hinges hanging off...no specialist door knowledge required.

Sorry op but yabu, onus was on you to only pay if you were happy with the works.

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