Poor workmanship

[22WR]

We are having 2 new bathrooms fitted by a company (supply and fit). As per of this we sourced our own tiles (b and q) which the company said was absolutely fine. During the job it became apparent that the tiling was completed to a poor standard - misaligned joints, lippage, incorrect cuts etc. There are also several other issues too. We have raised these with the company and they're saying the issues are due to "poor quality tiles". At no point did they mention any quality issues until we have questioned the workmanship. The fitter is actually a sub contractor that the company employed (not us). We have paid, as per their contract, for all materials but no labour charges yet (£5k). The company tried to say it was nothing to do with them and that any issues needed to be sorted with the fitter directly.

I have asked them to come and fix all of the issues and at first they agreed. They then said they wouldn't be doing and tiling work as the problem was the tiles not the tiler. I responded to ask that they complete all of the remedial works needed. They have now said they estimate all the remedial works to cost £1200, and that if we can find someone to fix it, they will knock the £1200 of their bill.

We have had 2 separate tilers in to provide a quote to fix the job and they are saying circa £10k as it will all need to come off and be done again. Does anyone know where we stand in terms of some sort of progress? I'm without 2 working bathrooms for the past 3 months.

You need to get an independent report to confirm that the problem is the workmanship rather than the tiles. Once you have that you should share it with the bathroom supplier (assuming it confirms that the issue is poor workmanship). If they still refuse to fix the problem, get quotes from other tilers and ask the supplier to pay. If they refuse to cover the cost, you can send them a letter before action giving them a deadline, following which you can take legal action against them.

Alternatively, if the bathrooms cost less than £30k in total and you paid any part of the cost with a credit card, you can take it up with your credit card company. They are also liable for any problems with the work.

Thanks for this. Where would I stand if they tried to send the same workman to fix the issues?

Sadly we paid for the materials on debit card. Thankfully we haven't actually paid for any of the labour yet.

If they send the same workman, you have to allow them to try and fix the issues. If they fail again, you can take them to court for a refund on the basis that you no longer have any confidence in their ability to fix the problems.