Failed Window Installation

[SwiftyFrisco]

A week ago today, we were due to have a window fitted by a national brand, but the fitters had to abort when they found the lintel had decayed, something not picked up by the preceding technical survey. Fair enough, these things happen. However, since then, we have not heard from the company about how they intend to proceed, despite enquiries via their website, phone and email.

It's been a week. AIBU to expect to have heard from them by now?

What did they say at the time it was discovered?

The fitters said that someone would be in touch soon, or words to that effect.

I would assume they won't proceed until you get the lintel replaced. I doubt their staff have the technical skills to replace a lintel.

Replacing a lintel sounds like hard work.

Maybe you would have to find a way of supporting the structure above while removing it so a job for a builder probably rather than a window fitter.
I thought they were normally massive blocks of concrete, steel or stone. So not quite sure how one would decay.

Have you paid them any money?

Yes, a deposit of around 25% iirc.

I’d get in touch with them and clarify how things can move forward. They may be expecting you to arrange for the lintel to be replaced. You need to know if this is the case and when the work can be done subsequently.

I think you need to get on with replacing the lintel and let them know when it's done. They cannot offer a refund of the deposit after the windows have been made, but they will do the work when they can.

The lintel would be work that you need to commission before they can book another date to install the window - I very much doubt it's something that they would have the technical ability to do. I would send them an email to the effect that you are in the process of finding someone to do the lintel work and would let them know once dates were confirmed.

I can tell you that from bitter experience. Ours turned out to be made of wood painted to look like stone. Several of them were rotten. A builder replaced them quite easily but needed scaffolding for the upstairs ones.

Thanks for the comments.

@Buscobel We have got in touch with them to clarify how things can move forward via various means, but it's been over a week and they haven't replied. Hence my AIBU – is this kind of timeframe normal, or do I have to escalate yet?

@janietreemore Sadly, I think sorting the lintel ourselves without any contact from the company would create all sorts of technical and contractual problems. The existing lintel is steel. The fitters spotted its poor condition very quickly – I don't know why the technical surveyor didn't.

@Arlanymor Whether I need to commission the lintel, or if instead it's their responsibility, is very hard to establish if they won't contact me... 😄

Would you expect a company who don’t have responsibility for an issue to contact you? Isn’t the imperative on you as the homeowner to ascertain what is needed? I wouldn’t expect Tesco to tell me how much milk is in Sainsbury’s. I’m not being difficult, it just seems you were told about the issue and still want them to give you advice. They couldn’t fit the window because of the issue, if they could assist with the issue they would have told you. Now it’s on you.

You probably need to contact them when it's ok for them to put the window in. I'm surprised you get it fixed so quick but well done. Contact them and let them know it's now safe ok to put the window in now you fixed the problem.

After we ordered the window, the company sent their own technical surveyor to precisely measure the window and determine – in the words of the contract – whether there would be a need for "additional building work such as new lintels". I presume this is a pretty standard approach.

This surveyor deemed a new lintel was not required. Subsequently, the same company's fitters found very quickly that a new lintel is required.

Thus, I'm surely not asking Tesco about Sainsbury's, but asking Tesco about Tesco (so to speak), and so should reasonably have expected a response by now?

Since they conducted their own survey and decided a new lintel wasn't needed - then they're obviously in the wrong. I would simply email again and say that if there is no EMAIL communication in the next 7 days you will be seeking a chargeback from your credit card company.

Have you been chasing them up? Phoning and emailing every day? If not, start doing that. If they don't pick up the phone or reply , email and send a mailed letter saying you will be requesting a chargeback of the deposit and/or taking legal action unless they get back with a detailed plan in the next 10 days.

You are a nightmare customer. You are suggesting that dealing with the lintel is their responsibility when it 100% is not, so I'm not surprised they have gone quiet on you.

You need a general builder to replace the lintel so that the window fitter can fit the windows. They will not want to, or have the experience or insurance to do structural work. They fit windows in an existing "structural opening". Stop trying to push your responsibility onto them.

Presumably when they told you that no lintel work was required, they weren't actually as black and white as that? There would have been caveats due to them not having x-ray specs

One window? Forget about it and move on...your history,in the out tray with big red CANCELLED

@janietreemore I contacted them Weds-Fri last week, but not this week as I now worry that IABU. The window is made-to-measure so I don't think I can do a chargeback, and I don't think I can really do anything until the company contact me about the situation.

@Ablondiebutagoody If it is indeed the case that dealing with the lintel is 100% my responsibility, then is it really unreasonable to expect the company to contact me to tell me so?

I think this is similar to a problem my daughter had, the window installers aranged the replacement and paid half as it should have been flagged up on the survey.

When you have been suggesting that there is a problem with their technical survey, alarm bells start ringing for them. That you expect them to deal with the structural work or at the very least, will be awkward with payment.

I would say from the tone of your OP, that they are correct to be wary and I wouldn't be surprised if you never hear from them again. That window has probably been adjusted and fitted to someone else's house already.

I don't think YABU.

I think they might be trying to find someone to take on the job/sub contract. But they should let you know what is happening.

I think you might find that their costs might be quite high as they view you as a captive customer, so it might be worth just getting a quote from someone else for a replacement anyway, you don't have to go ahead with it.

I would be concerned though if you do arrange to do the replacement separately to make sure it results in an opening of a size that will still take the window !

I would be wanting to take routes to push it along, because if you wait weeks for them to do anythng about it, then you wait for weeks and then time to get someone in to quote, then further weeks to get someone to actually do the work it could stretch out long into the future.

Hopefully the opening is supported during this time.

Oh I see what you mean - sorry it's more clear to me now with that additional information. Yes I think you are asking Tesco about Tesco! And yes they need to explain - fully - the results of the survey so that you can make some decisions. Good luck, hope they come back to you ASAP.

Just to conclude, the company have now apologised for the slow communication, and accepted the error in their initial survey. As such, they will now cover the costs of the new lintel we need.

Things can go wrong, I understand, but I always think it's what companies do to put things right that's important. So, although the wait to hear back from them was a little stressful(!) I didn't need to worry as they've ultimately been very fair.