Floor fitters haven't done a very nice job. Don't know what to do?

[whoopsiedaisydangle]

Today we had the floor fitters in to redo my bathroom and down stairs bathroom flooring,

I'm really disappointed. I've been waiting ages for the floors to be done and the edging looks really scruffy and there are big air bubbles.

They were meant to remove the old flooring (the lady in the shop said they had to do this so the adhesive on the new floor would stick down)
They didn't remove the old flooring. They stuck the new one on top?!

You can see some of the old flooring on the scruffy bits they have left behind the sink!

The lady in the shop also said that they would put sealant around the edging of the floor but they said they wouldn't do that yet because the floors would move?

We rang the shop and they said they would have to re fit the floor? I don't really want the same men coming back. It would be very awkward wouldn't it? they weren't that friendly anyway. I'm sure they would be even less friendly having to come back. I would feel very uncomfortable. I am a bit of a wuss with these things!

I don't know what to do. I feel like I've just waisted my money. I feel stupidly quite sad.

Three choices really

1. They come back and refit
2. Insist they send different fitters
3. Full refund plus compensation for having to pay someone to remove their shoddy work.

In an ideal world they would send different fitters. I don't know how floor shops work though. I don't know if they have lots of fitters.

I've been waiting so long for this floor. I bet they would say I'd have to wait another month or so.

I've never had this type of problem before. The man I spoke to on the phone seemed very blaze about it just "oh we'll have to re fit it then" and said he would get a manager to ring back tomorrow.

Would I be within my right to ask for the £100 fitters fee back? (That was a cost on top of the actual floor cost) plus a refit of the floor? Or just a free refit of a floor?

I really don't know how to complain

I don't think you can ask for a refund at this stage.

You have told them that the fitting was not up to standard. They have acknowledged that and have agreed to rectify the problem.

You just need to agree with the shop manager what will be done, before the fitters come round.
The shop must ensure that that the fitters take up the badly fitted flooring and take it away. You have a right to new flooring and to have it fitted properly which is not on top of your old flooring. Don't accept anything less.

A shop automatically replaced my new bedroom carpet without quibbling as they didn't measure the room properly and the carpet fitter put a join in the carpet to make it fit. Their error so they replaced the carpet at their expense.

Take some pictures of the shoddy work before they remove it, just in case of debate subsequently.

Be specific in telling them what you want them to do. Write it down in advance of speaking to the manager if you're not sure you'll be able to remember everything when speaking to them. I'd specify that they need to remove the old flooring, lay your new flooring without air bubbles, cover the whole area properly and agree a date to return to do the edging sealant once the floor has settled (if that's necessary). None of this should be at extra cost to you. I agree that you can't ask for a refund at this stage as they should have the chance to rectify their mistakes before you take anything further.

Poor you - definitely get them to put it right completely at their expense. We’ve just had similar with a very expensive floor. We could have just lived with it, but like you I had waited a long time for it. Make sure you take plenty of photographs so you get all of the details. I would also tell the shop you don’t want those particular fitters back as there is no reason why they couldn’t do a good job in the first place. My guess would be they are sub contractors on a fixed price to fit so the quicker they finish the more in pocket they are. Fight your corner - you are the customer and can always go to trading standards for help.

I know you've been waiting a long time for this floor, but it's worth waiting a bit longer and fighting this out to get what you want. By the sounds of things this is very, very poor work indeed - I can't believe they just stuck the new floor over the old, leaving bits of the old showing through! Awful! Stand your ground and ask them to rectify the problem. I think you can probably insist that different fitters are used.

I'm fairly sure that even the smallest flooring shop works with more than one team of fitters. Don't make worrying about having to see them again be the reason not to have them back - it will be fine. This happened to us once, and they sent their best fitters in to fix the first shoddy job. It was lovely the second time.

That sounds terrible. Flooring was my family business and that would not be acceptable.

Some shops employee fitters but a lot are self- employed and work for more than one shop.

Take photos, complain, ask for the work to be done again with different fitters.

Did you pay them to remove the old floor? We've always had bare, swept flooring ready.

BTW I would definitely get them to get it right. We had windows and doors fitted years ago which was a massive bodge and damaged the house but I accepted crap repairs because I was stressed about my pregnancy and I hate it now

One of the floor men that came yesterday has just come around with his wife!

I had the baby and I was in my dressing gown and looking a bit scruffy as I'd just been feeding her. Husband at work.

The man looked at the floor with his wife, she went outside and he did something to the bubbles and pulled bits of the floor back and re sprayed them. He said he would come back Monday to seal the outsides of the floor and if needs be re lay it.

I'm positive the lady at the shop said the floor had to be removed first or the flooring wouldn't stick she said there would be an £18 fee to remove the floor.
We asked the men about removing it yesterday but they said removing the floor would rip the under flooring up so they only charged for the fitting (although they charged a bit more than what the lady in the shop quoted) they did do both bathrooms really quickly.

I have no idea about flooring, this is my first proper house with my husband. We rented our last house and didn't have to do works.
We saved for ages to be able to buy this home with a mortgage and have just managed to save some more money to make it look like our 'home' I just wanted everything perfect. I know I need to be patient.

If it's still no good on Monday I'll be more ready (and not in my nightie and dressing gown) to really tell the man what's what.

Oh my goodness. This is very bad. I can’t believe he came back and has just done what he just did.

You really must be strong here. Think very calmly, write some pointers, and then ring the shop.

Don’t be fobbed off.

Is it vinyl underneath and new vinyl?

Dh says not to lie vinyl on vinyl because of color migration. Also shouldn't have bubbles now but could get them later as the heating makes it happen.

whoopsie that fitter sounds like a total cowboy, did I have nderstand you correctly that he charged you more than the woman in the shop quoted you and did less work? He's skimming off the top and being lazy. youre perfectly within your rights to ask for a different fitter to come out to replace it rather than the same guy, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. And as for coming round with his wife??? Well that's just odd

That sounds bizarre!

I hope it gets sorted on Monday.

Is this a large chain company? We had a similar experience using carpet right. Absolutely terrible, messed up carpet, wood and vinyl separate orders so I can sympathise hope it gets sorted quickly!

Yes it's carpet wright, the bubbles aren't as bad but they are still there and the edging looks rubbish,

Monday can't come quick enough! I feel fobbed off.

As I understand it OP Carpet Right fitters are not employed by them. They are all self-employed and pay Carpet Right to be on their list for jobs.
Complain to Carpet Right. These cowboy fitters thought they would get away with a quick shoddy job. Tell Carpet Right that the fitters are not to come to your house again and the whole job is to be redone, the way you were quoted for by the CR rep.
Alternatively, take photos of the worst areas (lots) and go in there today and give them hell. Get your money back - all of it - and go to an independant. Better & much cheaper. CR are very overpriced and using random fitters leads to shoddy work - in my opinion.

Complain to head office if you're not getting anywhere with the store. It is not acceptable to put vinyl on top of vinyl and will cause many problems further down the line. Tell HO you want all the flooring removed and new vinyl fitted. Also insist on different fitters and the sealant being done. Keep on complaining and it will be sorted. The fitters have lied to you and were just trying to get away quicker. That is not acceptable and the store should be sorting it! Good luck

You may feel stronger if you prepare everything in writing. So list what you want redone, how you want it doing. Why you don't want the original fitters back etc. You can keep the list to hand when you speak on the phone. Try and insist someone from the shop comes to see it so they can see what a poor job it is.

Thank you everyone, I've made a list for tomorrow, husband will be at work so I'm on my own.

I have a feeling I'll be on the phone to carpet right a lot fingers crossed it pans out ok!

Stick to your guns whoopsie you paid in good faith for a product and service which you have not been provided. Squeaky wheel gets the oil, so be squeaky and make as much noise as you can!

Hope you get it sorted . Btw, you should absolutely not have paid more for fitting than you were originally quoted. Take that up with the shop as well, sounds like they’re slipping the extra into their back pocket. Fecking cowboys.

ugh - home improvements can be a nightmare.
You're not unreasonable to want a job done well, and they should correct it, however awkward things become.

We're behind on our kitchen re-fit and have royally pissed off our original fitter, because he was suggesting a total bodge job with the proposed flooring. I am the world's least confrontational person, but no way was I putting up with crappy flooring for a decade to save his feelings.

We're 2 weeks behind schedule, which is another 2 weeks of washing up in the bath, but we now have a proper floor and a new kitchen fitter starting next week.

Honestly, just stick to your guns. Tell them it’s not ok and it needs the old floor up and fitted correctly. If needs be someone from the shop should come round.

I’ve had shoddy workman, an Insurance refit of a bath, came home and he’d put what I can only describe as a disability small bath in place of our bog standard one. So all that tiling no longer went to thr edges and the panels no longer fitted. Fitter was adamant it was correct. I held my ground on the phone and refused to accept it. Eventually they sent an adjudicator round who took one look at it and told the cowboy to get it the hell out my bathroom. The fitter argued his case till the end. Such a fucker. Stand your ground. Insist its done correctly.