What are my rights? Disastrous window company

[Sweetpea1989]

Please help I don’t know where to turn.

I paid £7,500 for a sun flex sliding patio door.

I paid 30% on the 17th of April this year as a deposit, paid 60% the day before it arrived and due to pay 10% when the job is finished.

They were installed on the 9th of July and the second door (it’s a 2
Pane sliding system) has never worked. They knew this when they left.

Issues I have:

They are not sitting flush on the floor like I ordered - just over 1.5 inches above my floor level, the window company blame my builder, yet they came to do final measures before ordering the glass when my builder made the opening to their spec?

We ordered both sides to slide, only one slide works, still awaiting a new sash from sun flex manufacturer apparently.

We have been left without trims inside and outside and looks completely unfinished.

The company is a joke, can never get through, when you do they say they will call back and never ever do. They are a big independent company with a show room. Some awful reviews with people having the same issues on google reviews I have found.

I’ve followed everything up recently in writing , I’ve asked for their complaints procedure twice now and no one acknowledges that.

I’m a really patient and understanding person and know but these guys have drove me too the brink and utter frustration.

Should I pay the full £7,500? They have 90% of it! I went for an expensive option specifically for peace of mind and 5 months after paying a deposit and 3 months after installation I have never had a working finished door.

Thank you in advance!

No you shouldn’t! I ordered two doors recently, one came in the wrong colour with the hinges on the wrong side.

I’ve paid only for the door that’s right. I have to wait for a new door that’s right but the company were very apologetic and totally accepting that they weren’t getting a penny until the wrong door was replaced.

I didn’t have to pay any deposit BTW, not a bean.

Ask admin to transfer this to legal and you’ll get advice on how best to proceed

Great thanks.

Don't pay them a penny more, OP. Report them to Trading Standards on the basis they've fitted a door that isn't fit for purpose and are now refusing to engage with you. Go on their reviews and leave one saying you've reported them because they won't engage and you're considering a legal claim. I bet you'll hear back the same day.

How did you pay them? If you've paid any of the money by credit card, contact your credit card provider.

A purchase worth over 5k has more legal protection than one for less, it would be a small claims civil case but the process isn't fun and the company can still give the run around even if the decision goes against them if they are that way inclined. The saving grace would be if you paid by credit card in which case the credit card company will refund you and it becomes their problem.

We had windows fitted years ago and they took half a day to do a two day job and trashed the sills inside and out, damaged an internal wall, forgot the glass in the spyhole, and took forever to make it vaguely better. My outside sills are still ruined and look awful. I’d keep fighting to make them fix it now.

Citizens advice can tell you what your legal position is they have an online chat box function which I used only last week actually, and was very helpful

If you can apply some social media pressure that would be worth a try. Horrible isn't it!

I don’t want to be that person that threatens bad reviews, but I have every intention of posting them once the job is finished to make others aware, I fear if I do it now I’ll never get things sorted!

Do I wait till it’s sorted to ask for compensation? Am I entitled to compensation if they fix it?

I just don’t know how to play this.

That’s good advice about credit cards I didnt know that, we did pay on credit card.

No you shouldn't pay any more! Go to their showroom, make a fuss and don't leave until you have a solution.

Get a refund through your credit card if you can then paste their name all over town to save the next poor sod from having their house ruined. The company don't deserve any consideration, they've given you none.

You should not make the final payment.

As others have said, the credit card provider is jointly liable with the supplier. You can take action against either of them or, indeed, against both, although you can only recover one lot of damages. You may find it easier to get a refund from your credit card provider in this situation.

To proceed against the supplier, you should give them a deadline to sort out the door and make it clear you will ask someone else to fix the problems and claim back the costs if they don't. It will help if you get estimates from other suppliers for sorting it out as this will allow you to indicate how much you will be claiming. Of course, any claim will be reduced by the amount you haven't paid the supplier.