Please can anybody help before our window fitters come back in the morning!!!

[3boys3dogshelp]

I've not been on here for a while but I'm desperate for some help this evening and hope mumsnet can give me some advice.
We are halfway through having new windows, doors and roofline fitted. What possessed me to arrange this with a 4 month old baby I have no idea but it desperately needed doing.
I thought we had done everything right - got several quotes and ended up going with a company who seemed professional and came recommended by 2 people. We stretched ourselves to get the roofline done at the same time to minimise disruption and to get a better price.
The surveyor seemed ok while he was here but went off sick the day after he had seen us without submitting all our paperwork and I think he forgot several of the things he agreed with us. I stupidly signed the paperwork which the salesperson filled out.
day 1 was a disaster- they came while we were out (office knew we were out) and went home as we weren't here.
day2 I discovered they were planning to cap our rotten wooden roofline. After a long discussion with the office they grudgingly agreed this wasn't what the surveyor had promised and are replacing at their expense.
Lots of niggly things are really worrying me

• they have asked us to get an electirician at our expense to sort security lights on roofline/disconnect porchlight and fix the burglar alarm at the front door. Noone told us we would need this before they started work.

-our roof has daft wooden finials (3 in total). they pulled the old ones out leaving at three 10cm square holes in the roof without even any felt across them and told us we need to get a roofer to repair. Surely they made the holes!! the old ones are completely rotten. -the front door (composite and not cheap) looks rubbish. it doesn't sit square in the frame, the frame isn't square in the hole in the wall. there is now a 5cm gap between our laminate floor and the door. -several other minor things done differently to how they were agreed. -both gardens are trashed. they broke 3 panes getting them out and while they have swept I'm not happy for my kids to play out. Today (day4) they put planks over the lawn which has already turned to swamp from 3 days of them walking across it.

I don't know what to do. They are coming back tomorrow planning on doing the bay window and French doors but I don't know what to say to them about the work so far, I don't know whether to let them finish the job.

We haven't paid anything yet....

Please help I'm sleep deprived, on smp so cannot afford electricians, roofers, scaffolding and new turf and completely stressed out. husband at work so down to me to sort them out tomorrow.

Oh no that sounds awful. How about putting it in writing that you won't allow them to continue the work nor pay for the work they have done until the rectify all the mistakes/damage. This is not on, they sound terrible. Good luck

It doesn't sound acceptable. Do you have an office email address?

If so, first check your contract that you weren't ment to get electrics removed and replaced, clearly made responsible for roof work, then list the items you've already run through in your OP.

Ideally use a numbered bullet point order and inform them you wont be paying until the job is done and tidied.

Start with a friendly but firm tone. Re:3boys3dogshelp house quote ref:....

We are glad that works are underway on our property....

Unfortunately things haven't progressed in the way we'd anticipated and we hope that you can confirm that the following will be resolved in full before you will be anticipating payment.

1/ front door
2/ roof made good
3/ electrical work made good

N/ lawns aerated and reseeded.
Etc

In anticipation of your prompt response,

Yours sincerely,

Don't want to read and run, sounds traumatic.
I can only comment about composite doors really and if you can tell that it's not square in the frame with the hooks engaged and you see that by eye without measuring, it must be bad. Ditto for the frame not being square. Does it lock ok?

If I were you, I would stop them before they start any more works. You need to see that works so far have been done to your standard before they move on. Complain now and DO NOT PAY in full until you are happy.

Thanks Miss that sounds great. I'm just torn about whether to tell them now I won't be paying until the work is made good when there are so many half finished jobs. I'm concerned the fitters will walk off the job leaving me with a front door that won't lock, several unsealed windows and a garden full of crap :-(.
otoh if I let them carry on they could make an arse of the rest of it too.

By the way, in fairness to the fitters, apart from the mess I think the majority of the problems have been caused by the office/surveyor and the fact that our walls are not square (house is about 20 years old but shoddily built so we have problems before with thinks being out of true).

Sorry cross posted queen. I've locked it by leaning hard on it tonight and don't dare open it again. the problem is caused by the walls not being straight, but I think in trying to fit the frame to the wall he has twisted the frame iyswim and now the door sort of leans in at the top right corner.

Door needs sorting immediately. Tell them tomorrow that you need it re-fitting as it is not secure and if it is left twisted, it will cause the door to bow and twist and will need to be scrapped and replaced.
Sorry you're having these problems, but you will need to put your foot down.

I don't know if with a contract you can tell them to stop without paying for work done to date.

Establishing whats done is very subjective. They'll no doubt say they've incurred all the cost. You no doubt feel that they're costing you in mess and other rectifying services.

If you can stomach it you're probably better off making them make it all good.

Its not like me to be in such a flap about it all, I'm normally really bolshy!! I think its just because there's so many things bothering me about their work and I don't really know where to start! the fitters have been very pleasant, the rest of the windows look good. they fitted the front door while I was out this afternoon so I didn't see it until they had left and only told me they had no intention of replacing the finials this evening.

I'd ring trading standards in the morning and get their advice...

Do you have any sort of emergency help cover or legal cover on your insurance or from anywhere that might be able to provide advice on what to do next? Or are you a member of Which? - they have advice and legal lines for some things that might help.

Oh and I'd definitely get them to get everything right as they go along before letting them start on doing other stuff where you might be left with more problems.

Do you think that they might normally 'over promise and under deliver' by conveniently forgetting to put everything into the contract that had been agreed verbally and they see what they can get away with? Worth talking to the other people that recommended them and see how good they were at dealing with any issues or even niggles that they had, and how they managed to get them sorted...

Take each incorrect thing and write it down so you can see what exactly you are dealing with .Then as a PP said draw up a bullet pointed list and check it against the contract to see if any of it has been included. What is definitely excluded take off your list and then email the redrawn list to the office.

Explain to the site manager what you have done and see what he has to say. Keep a record - writing it down as he speak if necessary.

Dont compromise on what you are paying for.

They arent doing you a favour.You are keeping them in work (and future work if they do it right)

Thanks everyone.

No I really don't think they over promise normally. Two of our neighbours (2 houses) have used them, one for windows and doors, one windows, doors and conservatory. We know them pretty well socially as ours kids play together and I know they are both probably fussier than us about attention to detail and everything being perfect. They also have loads of really good reviews online. I just don't understand how it has gone so wrong for us.
I have made a list. I think i'll speak to the main fitter about the front door in the morning and see how he plans to rectify the problems before I go nuclear with the office...

Also is jt right that there is less ofthe frame vidible at the sides of the windows than at the top and bottom?