Carpet damage - customer pulling a fast one but are us tradeppl over a barrel?

[Bathbeyond]

Well, this is a new one on me. Has anyone got any thoughts on the following?
I completed a bathroom job and invoiced for the last portion of labour earlier this week. They had expressed how delighted they were with the finished article and that it was a lovely job. Fast forward to a my first chase of the invoice where the lady suggests it had landed in her junk folder. Another day or so goes by when I receive an email again saying how beautiful the bathroom looks followed by:
- there is a dent in the doorframe

• the additional work to fit a shaver socket is too expensive (£75 but involved chiselling out walls by hand - power tools would have created a huge mess/damage to the wall - as well as plasterboard repair once it was fitted). She suggests an hours labour is fair
• The carpet is now threadbare in places where the protection was lifted after the job

She then asks me to adjust my invoice by way of recompense.

My feelings on this are as follows:
-Genuinely didn't notice a dent on the doorframe but would be happy to make good.
- My electrician is a well educated, well spoken gent who gave tons of advice on good products and saved them a fair bit on what they ultimately chose for the renovation in terms of lighting and the extractor. The shaver socket was a job added by the customer half way through and he had to create a new electrical drop from the mirror he had already fitted. He worked very hard on being careful not create damage to the wall and it wasn't as simple as just popping a socket in within an hour.
-The carpet is fairly old I'd say and likely to be on her list for replacement - likely at my expense. I always put down protective carpet film and have NEVER had an issue with it removing the fibres of carpet - quite often it looks nice and clean after as it lifts the dirt.

Slightly less relevant as these were given off my own back:

-I supplied underlay FOC for their click vinyl as I had some in my garage
-I double boarded a wall - no charge for the board or extra labour
-A wall was re-rendered FOC

I realise the last 3 items were on my own back but it seriously grates when you've been so good to a customer and they repay you in this way. I'm seriously disappointed in myself for being so decent to such greedy people.

Rant over - but wanted to know if anyone has had similar experiences. I am owed a fair amount of money for the supposed beautiful bathroom but will be saying that any claims must be dealt with separately - they cannot be simply 'knocked off the bill' as she is demanding. Do we tradesmen always have to 'take it on the chin' and stump up when we know we are not to blame? It doesn't seem right somehow - would insurers visit and look at her old carpet and point out that I took care to protect it so her claim is invalid/unjust?



-

 

[SimonG]

I think the cost of the carpet would be the same as the underlay, double boarding and rendering 😉😉

 

[Murdoch]

£75 to supply and fit a shaver point , including test and certificate is too cheap for a start .....

 

[Chuck]

How old was the carpet? It was probably rotten already if it damaged that easily.

 

[PETE 123]

from my past with people like that is to get as much as you can and move on otherwise sleepless nights and bad feelings towards them but thats me.

 

[Pickwickpick]

from my past with people like that is to get as much as you can and move on otherwise sleepless nights and bad feelings towards them but thats me.

Yep that's generally my approach, it grates and its wrong, but can't deal with the agro these days, I just put them on the list of people I won't work for again.

 

[king of pipes]

However careful you are there will be little niggles on jobs it knowing what's accept able and what's not it sounds like your being had a bit here, give a little customers will expect more and more foc. Kop

 

[oz-plumber]

To done and rid of the problem and to throw a spanner in the customers works, I would take my insurance excess off the works done.

I would say the the customer my insurance excess is xxxxx.
Would this cover the cost of repairs.
If they're not happy with that, charge the full amount and let them know you will be informing your insurance company regarding the matter.
Let them deal with the insurance company.

You're going to lose your excess either way.

I would also document everything and send the customer emails regarding the matter.
If they accept, you lose a little and have no further problems or dealings with them.

I've done this 1/2 a dozen times over the years, but once done, the grief / stress disappears quickly.

Just keep all emails and documents regarding the matter in case they try to scam you after the fact.

 

[snowhead]

I'd contact her and explain the work that went into doing the socket and the extras you didn't charge for.

Say you're prepared to come and look at the door frame and repair if you think it's as a result of your work and finally say you won't be adjusting the invoice as you'll be passing the carpet issue to your insurance and will be taking photos of the carpet to submit to them when you look at the door frame.

 

[SimonG]

Also need to look at the product you used to protect the carpet.

 

[Murdoch]

Carpets don’t go threadbare when they lifted ... that description suggests it was worn out

 

[Ben-gee]

How long was it down for ? The one I used (think it was roll ‘n’ stroll) said to be left for a maximum of 4 weeks, not sure if others are the same?

 

[Brandnewcombineharvester]

Feel for you dude.
I've been self employed all my life, but recently decided to take it a bit more easily.
I now work for a housing association, and trust me it's the norm.
I worked for a local council when I left school, and it all came flooding back (no pun intended).
Oh mate they will pull any stunt to either get out of paying or seek some form off bill reduction/compensation.

Where I work now, and apparently this is quite normal, we are not permitted to remove any fitted carpet of any sort (every time without fail they try to claim for damaged carpets.
I know your case is slightly different, but we have to get the tnt to either sign a disclaimer or get the carpet removed pre repair.

All I can suggest is in future get a small disclaimer underwritten in your initial quotation and also on any bills.

Interesting 'thread' this one. (sorry)

 

[SimonG]

C'mon Shaun, get your finger out 🤣🤣🤣 want to see what's happening with this.
[automerge]1603661636[/automerge]
The smart phone is king.

Customer wanted trv on radiator. Went, rad valve leaking on gland nut, damaged laminate underneath, changed valve, billed, paid and left.

Two days later, you've damaged my laminate.

Nope.

It was fine before you did the valve.

Well the picture I took of the valve and the damaged flooring before I started seems to agree with me.

Oh, right, yes, well, erm, must have made a mistake.


I've warned everybody i know to avoid like the plague.

 

[PETE 123]

Yes i do the same sometimes take photo b4 work if you think it will lead to some sort of claim. Same as you would with id or warning notice & sticker (attached to appliance )

 

[Ric2013]

What a pain in the ersa! I love working in scruffy houses when the people themselves are the type that wouldn't notice let alone care if you do cause cosmetic damage because the house is already scruffy (because they generally are more interesting to chat to), but it sounds like you've found a sisp-taker (who may genuinely, however, have only just noted a slight deterioration in a carpet that was already worn).

The 'damage' may be hard to prove or disprove, though it's up to you whether you want to go for the easy life or call their bluff and see if the customer will actually go to court. If you didn't take notes and have no evidence of the condition prior to work taking place, I think it may go against you, though if you want to fight it, you could offer a percentage based on the condition of the carpet which you have not applied your protector to being already very poor. Perhaps you could offer 33% of the cost of a new carpet as the amount that is not in dispute and give that upfront? At least you would probably then have the judge's sympathy. This, incidentally, is very similar to best practice method if it were a rental property and the carpet had been 'damaged' by tenants (cost of new carpet x percentage of the expected life of the carpet remaining).

As for the shaver socket, did the customer authorise the work or not? If the customer authorised it and didn't agree a price, they can be expected to pay the reasonable cost. I think it would be hard to argue that £75 is unreasonable.

The electrician needs to understand the system and determine whether the circuit is fit to connect a new socket to, do the work and clean up after (which may indeed take only an hour) and then test the new socket in accordance with BSblabla. The total labour cost is the time spent on the job, not just the time spent chiselling out the wall and tightening the terminals.

Plus, if the sparky is under your subcontract, then you need to add a small percentage for the administrational cost and responsibility you take and that you incur in providing the customer with the convenience of having you as the single point of contact, same as you would put a small margin on the materials you supply. FWIW, back in 2008, a Colchester-based electrical firm's callout and first hour's labour charge was significantly more than the £75 which your customer is disputing.