Where do I stand Legally (Pay a Cowboy??)

[AndersonC]

I know this post is considered closed, but I have a couple of questions:-

1. I thought that combi boilers did away with the requirement for plumbing in the loft. Is plumbing in the loft predominantly installed for the purposes of gravity assisting the flow of water down into the house? Given that a combi is pumped then why did this guy even need to set foot in the loft?

2. Why is it not considered acceptable to look at people's work from a critical viewpoint when you are paying out hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds for it? If people can't be bothered using spirit levels or cutting things to correct length then it's not a very good indication of that person's overall workmanship, surely.

 

[pampers]

If he was converting from a conventional system then he would have needed to remove the FE tank ,CWS tank and alter the existing pipework ,so he has to go in the roof.

The PRV pipe has to have a fall ,the condense pipe has to have a fall ,so saying some pipes are not plumb doesn't really instantly say anything bad about the standard of the instaltion.

 

[Paul Barker]

2. Why is it not considered acceptable to look at people's work from a critical viewpoint when you are paying out hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds for it?

You are correct and I will agree with your inference that in some cases extorionate prices are charged but don't tarr us all with that brush.

If people can't be bothered using spirit levels or cutting things to correct length then it's not a very good indication of that person's overall workmanship, surely.

As others have said we don't know which pipes weren't plumb, some ought not to be so now we are imagining what might have been. There is never a case in law for imagining, or for what might have happened if, hard facts and what actually happened are all that matters to a judge.

I drilled too deep into the walls of my lockup last week and some faces of the bricks next door dropped off. The owner had her car out of it at the time. When she got back she tried to make great capital out of what it would have cost me if her car had been in the garage. Sad these people who have so much spare time on their hands they have time to get wound up about what might have happened. Fortunately my life is so busy I haven't even the time to spare a thought for her irrational worries and I carried on life entirely unrattled, thankful she is not a significant other in my life.

As for an indicastion of overall workmanship. I know a man who does a job that looks like a pigs ear, he works very rough, but he can achieve any pipefitting task without ever getting a leak. Sadly I couldn't use him to hang a boiler though he would do an excellent job someone like you would think it was amateur.

In the end, I have to do these sensitive jobs myself because it must be both sound and look good to the ignorant.

 

[Toolkit]

Noted some constructive comments and decided to clarify some points

1:Having looked at my daughters boiler . I commented on the Pressure release pipe and the Condenser pipe being out of plumb (vertical). These pipes are about 1metre in length then a 90° elbow is fitted to go through the outside wall. I CONSIDER 50mm out of plumb in a metre run to be EXCESSIVE. (PRIDE IN JOB???)

2: Pipe work which for some reason was run up into the loft WAS connected to the original 22mm supply pipe. AFTER THE LEAK, ALL OF THESE PIPES were removed. There is now NO PIPE work in the Loft. If the pipes are removed after the leak then in my mind THERE WAS NO NEED for them to be fitted there in the first place.

3: It would appear that some of the guys on the forum object to THE CUSTOMER queering some work practices.

A GOOD JOB DONE AND THERE WOULD BE NO QUESTION IN PAYIN THE BILL.

The forum members who have given sarcastic comments are probably the type of tradesmen????? (use the term loosley) we would rather not ask to do the job in the first place.

I do not tarr all trade's people with the same brush.

As Anderson C in the above post remarks "should'nt the guy be allowed to ask question after all a lot of money is being spent.

I do believe that the leak was CAUSED by the plumber him taking a short cut and bodging the job. Proving that is another matter, I do not think we can do. Although the digital camera was available for insurance purposes.

I do not apologize for having concerns and looking after my daughters interests.


Thanks for constructive comments, Will ignore negative ones.

 

[arfurrrr]

quote :
It isn't exactly good practice to cap the cold supply in the loft. Not necessary to cap it under the floor, but close to the floor in the old airing cupboard is a minimum standard.


The dog leg supplies , must be removed . Water Reg .

Arf

 

[doitall]

The quality of the work is a seperate issue and indeed you should take the installer to task over shoddy work.

The archetec and client always snag the work after completion, and any defects are corrected to their satisfaction, before the final payment.

ok so I'm talking industrial, but the same rules apply, so make a list of what you don't like and present it to the installer, he can retify and collect his cheque when completed and everyones happy.

 

[corgiman]

Here Here DIA

thats the way to do it

 

[oilman]

The forum members who have given sarcastic comments are probably the type of tradesmen????? (use the term loosley) we would rather not ask to do the job in the first place.

Extrapolations like that don't do much for your credibility.

 

[fitz1]

was there a contract of work signed by the customer ? if not , then legally you have no proof of what was expected.price of job could be relevent. i;e you get what you pay for.

 

[Softus]

The dog leg supplies , must be removed . Water Reg .

Er, dead leg?

Arf

Is this your signature, or are you simulating a barking noise?

 

[Fin]

I am a lawyer:

You must pay for the work. If you think she has a case you can use set off but what loss has she? The insurance will pay for all damage flowing (forgive pun) form flood - no comp for inconvenience etc

If you think the work is not up to scratch thats a separate matter but you need to substantiate your allegations. Pipes being out of true are unlikely to satisfy that requirement.

Free advice = Get job done, claim insurance forget the rest[/i]

 

[Softus]

I am a lawyer:

Pray tell - solicitor, barrister, or something else?

If you think she has a case you can use set off but what loss has she? The insurance will pay for all damage flowing (forgive pun) form flood - no comp for inconvenience etc

Surely, to a lawyer, it is obvious that she will have uninsured losses, e.g. the policy excess, and that she has a reasonable claim for the suffering and inconvenience caused by the flooding?

If you think the work is not up to scratch thats a separate matter but you need to substantiate your allegations. Pipes being out of true are unlikely to satisfy that requirement.

A vertical pipe of one metre length, that is out of plumb by more than a couple of millimetres, has not been installed with reasonable skill and care.

Are you, as a lawyer, not familiar with the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 (amended by Supply of Goods and Services Act 1994)? For the benefit of any reader who isn't a lawyer, this legislation states that work covered by the contract - which exists as soon as you ask someone to carry out some work for you, such as plumbing, dry cleaning, or building - must be carried out with reasonable skill and care.

The customer also has the right to expect the contractor to put the work right, and, if s/he won't, is legally entitled to employ another contractor to rectify the problem and claim the costs from the original contractor.

Free advice = Get job done, claim insurance forget the rest

I can see why that advice is free.

 

[arfurrrr]

Softy , your right dead legs supplies .

A dog was busy on my leg at the time of the post.

Arf Arf

 

[oilman]

Most people supply them with a roll of carpet

 

[Agile]

Fin, can you point me to a web site where lawyers will give some simple free advice just as plumbers do here?

Tony