Floor Fitter has damaged new Kitchen

GalwayUsr

Hi, 
Just said I would put up a post to try to get some thoughts on how to proceed. We purchased a branded vinyl laminate floor from a reputable flooring supplier. They recommended their fitter, who is the trained fitter for this floor type. 
We paid our builder an additional €400 to lay plywood as the floor had to be completely level, we also paid an additional €500 to have the fitter put down levelling compound over a section of old floor tiling to ensure the surface was totally level. The floor provider indicated the fitter would remove the existing skirting boards and replace them as he found them with no issue. 
The fitter has damaged the skirting boards in one area so badly they cannot be refitted, we will have to put down new ones. 
He has also scratched the end panels on the island unit while cutting the floor around the panels to fit. While they are small scratches, they are visible and it is a brand new white gloss kitchen. When we brought this to his attention he got totally thick and said 'we were expecting perfection'. He said the plywood that we fitted was not the right plywood. He said the kitchen wasn't great anyway as it was already caulked in places. He just through a ton of abuse.
Then we determined that he didn't just clip off the plinths/kickboards which are on clips. He inserted a screw into the top section to remove them and has left a visible hole in each kickboard which he claims nobody will see. Again this is a brand new kitchen and we can see all the marks. 
He has been totally obnoxious and unprofessional. He is due to wrap up his work today and expects to get paid cash in hand while we are now even more out of pocket and left to clean up/patch up and fix his mess.
I would appreciate any advise anybody would have on how to handle this situation.
Thanks

uck51js9zml2yt

Have you contacted the company you bought from?


The kitchen shouldn't be in a worse state after the work. Insist on it being fixed before payment. Talk to the shop

antoinolachtnai

Do not pay him today.

I would send him off the site immediately and get another fitter if I were so unhappy. Certainly, consider asking him to stop all work if you think further damage will be caused.

Tell him you are going to call out the shop that sent him if he can't immediately propose a resolution.

Get the shop to come out. Ask them to work with their fitter and come back to you with a proposal. If they are really a reputable flooring supplier they will do this. (Note: not all well known floor suppliers are reputable)

There is a critical legal issue here, whether the guy is working for you or working for the shop. At the end of the day I would try to avoid getting involved in the strict legal niceties of it.

GalwayUsr

Hi, 
Thanks for your response, much appreciated. This fitter is recommended by the flooring company. We were not given a list of possible fitters, only this guy. He is apparently certified for the fitting of this floor. But after that it is up to us to engage and pay this guy, he is not paid by the floor company.

antoinolachtnai

I was afraid of that. You just have to put the pressure on the shop to sort out this mess.

I would say that to resolve this issue as well as possible, it is very important that you move quickly.

dok_golf

GalwayUsr wrote: »

Hi, 
Thanks for your response, much appreciated. This fitter is recommended by the flooring company. We were not given a list of possible fitters, only this guy. He is apparently certified for the fitting of this floor. But after that it is up to us to engage and pay this guy, he is not paid by the floor company.

of little benefit to you, but I'm a painter in Galway. In my book, you don't leave a job until the customer is happy. The lad thats works for me made a pigs ear of a fairly big job last week. Customer sent me photos of the mess he made. The lad and myself will be spending tomorrow rectifying things and not only will he not get paid for it, but he will have his wages docked until he pays for my day of lost wages as well. In your case, take photos and stand your ground. You are perfectly entitled to have the work done to YOUR standard not his.

GalwayUsr

You are absolutely right. The floor fitter stayed till 9 o clock last night in an attempt to rectify some of the problems and then finally agreed to deduct an amount from the final payment to cover some of the damage. All in all a very stressful day and not a situation you should find yourself in when you hire a professional to do a job and they come recommended. All in all the floor looks well and the most of the mistakes are sorted now.