New combi boiler

[andrew22]

Hi,
We've just completed on our house and the boiler was knackered, we had someone in to replace the old boiler with a combi, remove the tank etc. They have left pipework out coming up out of the floor where the tank was, running across a foot or so and disappearing back into the floor where the rest of the pipework was under the tank. This is in a cupboard in a bedroom, the cupboard being put up to house the old tank and we have every intention of taking the cupboard down in the near future. We've been on to him to come back and put the pipework below the floorboards, and he says he wants to charge £30 for cleaning fluid and £30 for the work. As far as we are concerned he didn't finish the job he was initially paid to do. Are we being unreasonable, would a tradesman usually leave the floor of the cupboard like that and we expected to much? I personally think it would have been a bind for him to cut the boards and he just bodged the job.

Cheers in advance.

 

[albatross]

It depends really on the conversation you had before starting. It is common to leave pipes like that in airing cupboards. If you didn't say to him before he started that you wanted to remove the cupboard how would he know? I ask have asked some customers before if it looked likely. Sometimes it is very hard to do if the cupboard walls and floor joists are in the way. A guy once told me he wanted hot and cold pipes left sticking up as he wated to fit a shower in the future, he changed his mind a year later and wanted them moving. I told him it would cost £200 as I would spend a afternoon getting there, draining down, lifting boards, altering pipes, refilling etc. £60 sounds very reasonable if you never told him in the first place you intended on removing the cupboard, in fact give him £100 and a cup of tea and a custard cream, you never know when you might need him in the future. Good customers get good service.

 

[Masood]

Sound advice from albatross. Look at it another way - if you had no intention of removing that cupboard, and he spent time lifting the floor, notching joists, etc. you'd probably be asking whether he'd overcharged you on the labour LOL. Bottom line is, if you told him that the cupboard was going and he left pipework looped like that then you shouldn't have paid him until he rectified it. If you didn't tell him then he's asking a very reasonable amount. You can't expect him to be clairvoyant...

 

[andrew22]

Thanks folks, I can't remember the exact conversation, he was told that we would be keeping cupboard for a bit but also that we'd be ripping it out as well. I guess it's one to notch up to experience when we next need a new boiler be specific about what we want doing and not assume they'll do the same without being told. As for not paying until it was as we wanted, had a 4 month old in my arms getting antsy and was stressed. Perhaps he's charging low because it's some my fault some his and he wants to maintain a relationship for services etc.

 

[Killy Bing]

Sound advice.

£60 is cheap and likely because he is doing it for good will!

by the time he shells out for the chemicals, bit of pipe, fittings, wear and tear on the van and his fuel.
hes likely earning next to sod all out of it.

 

[A1P]

Sound advice.

£60 is cheap and likely because he is doing it for good will!

by the time he shells out for the chemicals, bit of pipe, fittings, wear and tear on the van and his fuel.
hes likely earning next to sod all out of it.

Agree with earlier posts.If not discussed before hand,£60 is definitely a good will gesture.I always think it is worth doing.For a relatively small cost you should both be happy

 

[justalex81]

only thing he's guilty of is maybe not stating that he was going to link the pipes above floor level in the first place. he may not have priced to spend extra time notching joists and making sure it was below the floor. how long ago was the work carried out?

 

[gassafe]

Yeah sounds like he linked the flow etc & removed old 3 ports.... It's quite common practise in an airing cupboard, and would have been an extra few hours work to put it all under floor likely!

If you did not specify that all the pipes were to be removed in the cupboard etc then I don't think its the plumbers responsibility... This should have been discussed with the plumber upon his original visit / quotation!

Not sure what the cleaning fluid is for? If he flushed the system should not be necessary... Maybe he just didn't like to ask for the full 60 quid labour? Either way, its seems reasonable... I would want more lol

 

[andrew22]

only thing he's guilty of is maybe not stating that he was going to link the pipes above floor level in the first place. he may not have priced to spend extra time notching joists and making sure it was below the floor. how long ago was the work carried out?

Job was started 6th jan, we moved in 20th but contacted him 13th about it, I gueds having seen the replies the next time I'll be very specific about what we want doing, we just assumed that he'd bury the pipes-not being heating engineers and that, it's not really an airing cupboard per se but a box built into a room to take the tank and act as an airing cupboard-justs some 2 by 2 nailed to the wall/floor with plywood surround which when we're settled (everything in the right room for starters) we'll knock out.

Thanks for the replies, looks like we should have specified we wanted the pipe below floor.

 

[MK_Swans]

This further highlights the importance of getting everything down in writing with the full scope of works and price signed off by customer and tradesman before the tools come out go the van.

Sounds like a good price as he may be shouldering some of the responsibility. He's probably thinking "as long as I'm not worse off I'll take the hit"

Hope it all works out amicably

:smug2:

 

[stevetheplumber]

Thanks folks, I can't remember the exact conversation, he was told that we would be keeping cupboard for a bit but also that we'd be ripping it out as well. I guess it's one to notch up to experience when we next need a new boiler be specific about what we want doing and not assume they'll do the same without being told. As for not paying until it was as we wanted, had a 4 month old in my arms getting antsy and was stressed. Perhaps he's charging low because it's some my fault some his and he wants to maintain a relationship for services etc.

if the conversation was as above where by you were both keeping and getting rid of the cupboard in one sentence then he probably only heard the bit he wanted to hear
i agree with every one theres been a bit of confusion and he has made a good willl gesture i would accept it with good grace