Homebase Kitchen Fitter Dispute - Who's Liable?

[ExhaustedOfBham]

I have recently had Homebase design and supply a kitchen. I have supplied my own appliances and sink as I wasn't keen on their offerings. And I went with their recommended accredited fitters instead of a cheaper local fitter. This was because I'm veryrisk averse. Homebase make much of the skill and professionalism of their 'Homeprojects' team of fitters so it seemed prudent to pay the extra for peace of mind.

All seemed to be going well until Friday when the fitter told me I'd need to get a different sink. When I asked why he said it was because Homebase have supplied the wrong sink. He has cut out the worktop for a sink with a lefthand drainer but, as we're a right handed family, I naturally bought one with the drainer on the right. It has been sitting in the kitchen since before the fitters arrived and they must have taken the measurements for the cut out from the installation instructions that came with it.

Further conversations have been had and it can be seen from the somewhat scrappy drawings the fitters are working off (supplied by Homebase's kitchen designer) that the drainer is on the left but its also mentioned that the sink is supplied by the customer so I would have thought the fitter should have checked the physical sink or at least the installation guide to be clear about what he was fitting.

Neither Homebase nor the fitters will accept responsibility for the mistake and it seems like we are either going to have to pay an extra £500 + labour for a new worktop to be installed and re-cut or exchange the sink for a left handed one thats totally unsuited to our needs.

This situation is making me ill - the fitting has cost us over half what the kitchen cost and for this I would expect diligence, professionalism and attention to detail. I don't like confrontation and tend to pay a premium for things like this inorder to avoid nasty disputes with tradesmen but I'm a really very unhappy customer.

Homebase customer services haven't been very forthcoming as yet but the store I bought the kitchen from have loaned us a sink to tide us over Christmas (we have guests coming) so our immediate problem of not having a sink has been mitigated. However I feel like I shouldn't pay the fittere anything (or at least withhold some payment) until I get what we asked for.

Can anyone suggest a course of action? I don't think its my mistake but as neither of the other parties involved are admitting liability it seems like the default position is that I the customer have just got to grin and bear it. Hardly a dream kitchen if even something as fundamental as the sink is back to front!

Thanks for reading.

Do you have a copy of the original plans? And does this say you're supplying, but importantly does it mention you're having a left hander? Or right hander? Or nothing specified? If the latter than I think it's fair to say the fault lies with the fitter not checking.
I think the decision rests on what the original specification (that they should have given you a copy of) says, although I would have expected the fitter to check the sink before cutting the hole.

I am right-handed and have the drainer on the left-hand side. I really don't think it makes any difference whether you are right or left-handed.

If this is making you ill then I would just accept the drainer on the left-hand side.

I agree that it might be very slightly easier to have the drainer on the right hand side but honestly most kitchens have it on the side which is most practical. I couldn't have my drainer on the right-hand side because it would have made the area next to the cooker too small.

The fitter should have checked the actual sink but it is slightly complicated by the fact that they had a left hand drainer sink shown on the drawing. What a pita for you OP.

We had a bathroom fitted by Homebase and had quite a few issues - sink and toilet 'chosen' by in store designer that didn't fit, fitters poorly fitted the bath. Like you I thought they would be a professional effective way to get it done.

The drawing shows a lefthander but also states that sink is customer supplied so I think that he should have checked before cutting into a piece of worktop that retails for £500.

My woodwork teacher always used to say "measure twice cut once" and I would have thought someone who does this stuff professionally would know better.

Argh sorry to hear about your bathroom woes. Did you get things resolved with Homebase? I have raised a complaint with customer services but who knows what it'll achieve. They have already intimated that my contract is with the fitter but that too is grey area because we don't actually have a written contract, just an email outlining the works.

A person cutting the hole for a sink gets the template out of the sink packaging (sometimes it is part of the cardboard package) and uses it to mark the worktop before cutting.

This is because different sinks are different shapes and sizes, and may need particular holes to accomodate the pipes and fixing screws.

Ask your supplier how the fitter came to cut a hole without doing that.

If necessary, point out that he could not have cut a hole for the standard sink, because the instructions said "sink supplied by client." Wait quietly while they try to think of an unconvincing excuse.

This is my thinking. They make much of the professionalism of their accredited fitters so I find their reluctance to take responsibility very troubling.

www.homebase.co.uk/kitchens/kitchen-ranges/homebase-kitchens-guarantees-installers.list

We had a Homebase supplied kitchen in our previous house years ago and after it was fitted I promised myself never to use them again.
The kitchen itself was lovely quality (and as far as I am aware still in daily use) but they were totally incapable of delivering the units undamaged. One unit (a full height larder unit) was delivered four times and each time it was just as bad as the previous one. When they finally got one to us in good condition I asked when they would be taking away the damaged units to which they replied that I could just pop them down the local tidy-tip (multiple floor to ceiling larders don't exactly fit into your average car!). Eventually they sent a van to collect them.
The only good thing was that with every damaged unit they sent (there were others) we got the fronts as well, we stored them away and this meant that a few years later we could refresh the kitchen with new drawer/cupboard fronts for no cost.

Tbh the local fitter would have been a better choice... none of the big sheds use their own fitters, all are subbies and get paid around half of what you are charged.
Some are very good, some rubbish, luck of the draw tbh but def terrible value
And as you are seeing, no added protection if issues arrive