AIBU to ask for compensation for this damage?

[nina3638]

Bought a washing machine from AO - cost us over £600 plus another £30 for fitting.

The guys who fitted it were a bit of a train wreck, kept effing and blinding about how heavy it was. Eventually one decided to squirt washing up liquid all over my floor (about half a bottle) to slide it in easier. Hadn’t asked if it was okay, just did it. I didn’t say anything as I just thought well it’s done now and the way he did it made it seem like something he does with every job so I didn’t really question it.

When they left I realised the vinyl (brand new... grrr) was risen and a chunk of it missing. messaged ao who offered £45 compensation. i said sure as it’s better than nothing and was just thinking about sticking a bit of wood to match the cabinets underneath the machine to hide it instead of replacing the whole floor for the sake of one chunk being missing.

then was sat having dinner tonight and thought shit there’s a leak as it looked like foam all over the skirting boards. went closer and realised that actually the washing up liquid has caused damage to them and the entire skirting boards have turned squishy and soaked / we’ve had to peel the paint off so we can atleast try to dry the bloody thing out. can tell it’s the washing up liquid as when we pushed along the skirting board loads of liquid just seeped out of it. the whole skirting board is going to need to be replaced.

then looked behind the washing machine properly and same applies - totally shredded the entire vinyl behind the washing machine and more skirting board damage. good job i’ve just bought the house and don’t want to move because the vinyl would need replacing entirely should i wish to do so ffs.

to top it off they’ve scuffed my wall so will need to stick another coat of paint on :)

absolutely fuming. i’m getting a c-section in 3 weeks this is not what i needed right now 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

i’ve sent in a complaint but aibu to expect a decent amount of compensation from this? can’t really get good pics of the full vinyl damage but have attached pics of skirting board damage.

Too right I'd demand compensation! They sound useless, and I'd be fuming!

That’s really rubbish. Our AO deliveries were really good and beyond what I expected but your experience is rubbish. Definitely complain!

honestly just feel like crying, this house move has been so stressful 🥲

Absolutely ask for more compensation. Why is it too much to ask for tradesmen to respect people's properties! I'm actually fuming for you!!

YANBU. Part of what you're paying for is their insurance premiums to cover this sort of stuff. Moving is so stressful without this on top.

I be causing merry hell at that!!

Are you sure it was washing up liquid?

Definitely ask for proper compensation- they sound like a right pair of bodgers

Yanbu. That sounds horrendous! We got our machine from AO too and the delivery guys had to bring it down done shoddy stairs into our basement, which they managed with a thick blanket. Can’t believe your guys used washing up liquid????

@Clymene yes i’m certain, saw him squirt it all over my poor floor 😭

glad i’m not being dramatic, not sure what to expect ao to say mind

He squirted dish soap on the floor to make it slide in easier?! That sounds like something Lucy and Ethel would do. I would definitely ask for compensation.

They need to actually rectify all the damage. Before you have the baby

Are you saying washing up liquid made your skirting boards squishy - that's just not possible. Squishy mens the wood is rotten.. Surely that cannot be from some washing up liquid. I weekly wash my skirting boards with hot water and washing up liquid and do not have squishy wood

Ripped vinyl- their responsibility

Skirting long standing water damage- not their responsibility

When I had a fridge freezer fitted and they scratched the flooring (in 2 different rooms) the company wanted photos of the damage and then quotes to rectify and they were happy to pay the cost.

Yes claim for flooring damage. However I suspect the skirting board is not related to spraying washing up liquid. That looks like a longer standing leak rotting the skirting board and possibly floor below. Was the plumbing properly capped off? Is it connected now?

Don't just demand unspecified compensation, request they put it right.

Advise and get quotes for the repair works. They may wish for a couple for comparison. Ask for additional compensation for the inconvenience.

Confirm you haven't signed a disclaimer.

When I worked in CS we had 2 property damage incidents.

One was some Kardean flooring that got scratched, customer got quotes and as it was direct from supplier, they sent a cheque for one of the quote values. We also sent a voucher as a goodwill / apology.

On the other hand, another had damage, but before delivery the courier had them sign a disclaimer saying they weren't liable, as they didn't feel they could move the product in without damage. Customer signed, allowed delivery then damage...courier didn't entertain our claim, so all we could was apologise but ultimately couldn't pay.

But in your case, even if you have signed something they should take reasonable precautions.

Its unusual washing up liquid would cause the damage, but if there was little water during install that wasn't wiped, it could bubble if it soaked.

there’s definitely not a longer term problem. it’s a brand new house - literally finished being built a few months ago and when we pushed at the damage on the skirting board literally washing up liquid was squelching out of it 😟

luckily took a picture right after they fitted the machine so the damage was definitely caused by them as it wasn’t there before they fitted it and bubbled up a few hours later 🥲

Looking at this again I think it might be a bit more complicated to sort out whose fault it is.

PPs are right, skirtings should be relatively water resistant. I'm not sure how true that is of new builds though - don't they have breathable paint so that the house can continue to dry out for a few months after you move in? Or is that just in walls not woodwork?

But the paint coming right off the woodwork like that looks like it wasn't stuck well enough in the first place, and the bottom surface of the skirtings has not been sealed. My bet would be they just bunged a modern equivalent of topcoat on the visible surfaces. I think it might be one for your snagging - something that was waiting to happen the first time the floor got really wet.

I’m not sure the skirting boards are their fault. Seems like a very odd reaction.

Looking at your later pic there seems to be some distance between the damage to skirting and the machine. Unless they flooded the floor it seems unlikely to be linked. What pipework is on the other side, is there damp there? Does the flooring butt up to the skirting or fit beneath it.

I know you saw them do it but was it actually your washing up liquid? If not it might not have been washing up
Liquid in the bottle , might have been refilled ?

@LIZS it’s definitely the washing up liquid, we ran a finger along the bubbling paint and loads of the stuff came out. genuinely he was the most careless fitter i’ve had - his first interaction with me was stomping into my house demanding a toilet because he’d ‘drank 6 litres of water and needed a piss’. should’ve known then he’d be unprofessional 🤦🏻‍♀️

and yes @Cecillie took it right off my counter so definitely that

I would hazard a guess they are MDF skirting boards which tends to suck up liquid like a sponge if unsealed by paint on the bottom edge.

fairy liquid absolutely will lift paint off the wood. In fact whenever I've stripped woodchip wallpaper before I always gave it a good soak in fairy liquid first as it was great at lifting it off the wall

The guys were absolutely inept muppets