Poor workmanship by plumber

[Doorhandleghost]

Hoping someone can help me decide what’s the best way to proceed.

I had a plumber reseal my bath in September. The plumber did the work then let himself out before I could inspect the work. It looks awful - lots of dirt has been sealed in, and there’s a fair bit of sealant randomly deposited on the bath.

I emailed immediately with photos to say I wasn’t happy, and I’ve only just had a response last week( presumably because they’ve suddenly decided to invoice me and chase for payment).

I’ve been told that I’ve only been charged half the cost for materials and labour, and I should have been told it would take longer to do it properly.

I am going to have to pay to get it fixed, so I don’t want to pay the invoice as is. I’ve given them a chance to correct it and was told the above about being charged half.

Am I able to withhold payment, or can I press again for them to correct it? Not sure what to do. Thanks

Find out how much it would cost to get another plumber to sort this out. If that is less than the original plumber's bill, deduct that from the bill and pay that with a covering letter explaining what you have done. If it is more than the original plumber's bill, send them a letter before action setting out the facts, stating how much you want from them (the bill to fix it less their bill), giving them a reasonable deadline to respond and stating that you may take legal action without further notice if they fail to respond.