Now in the hands of Trading Standards

Not entirely to our surprise, Fitters4 reneged on their promise (made on 2 separate occasions) to realign the fridge/freezer base units and fit a new wall end panel, so that the 'V' gap would disappear.

We just got a snot-a-gram from the IM referring us to the Furniture Ombudsman, as she did feel that there would ever be a 'satisfactory conclusion'. Well, that's entirely down to them. It's not rocket science to realign the fridge/freezer this time using a spirit level. It is, however, a long way for their "star" (the IM's words, not ours) fitters to come - an hour each way.

So, the matter is now referred to Trading Standards with whom the case was first reported some time back.

This means that we are still unable to tile the walls, since there's no point getting tiling done until we know for sure that those tiles will not be at risk.

MFI - No Response

The installations manager has not had the common decency to return the voicemail. We've given her a week - but then haven't we just been giving them break after break for the past 5 months.

SINK
We have now discovered a hairline crack running through the sink 2 inches out from the tap base - this would not have been immediately apparent due to it being pristine, but over the past few weeks I guess dirt has got in the crack so it is now visible.

FRIDGE/FREEZER alignment
Fitters4 spent a long time messing about with the alignment of these units. And now they turn round and say that it's the fault of Fitter1 who should have noticed the warp in the worktop so it could have been replaced, and who fitted the whole base structure seemingly without the use of a spirit level.
The doors are not operating smoothly, open the doors and it's blatantly obvious they're not straight, plus there's that awful inverted V gap at the wall end panel.

- - -

Happy birthday - not - to the Remedial Work
... now 5 months old!!!

I've done a quick search on the internet and apparently we are supposed to be noticing some things...

Development Milestones at 5 Months :

* Sit, if supported, to view the world. - yeah it sure needs support
* Start to connect eyes and fingers, co-operate in reaching and grasping. - connection & co-operation never seem to have been a strongpoint
* Make sounds and interrupt conversations when wanting attention. - it certainly sneaks into conversations
* Display an awareness and wariness with strangers. - yesss, how many fitters have we had now
* Babble double consonants such as baba, dada, mama. - certainly leaves us babbling incoherent wrecks

Remedial Work: Fri 10-Oct-08 ... AAGGGHHHHH

1. End panel on the wall units has finally got replaced satisfactorily.

This was what it looked like when it was replaced the first time - Fitters4 said they just never noticed...

2. Fridge/Freezer fitting

Then Himself asked Fitters4 what they were going to do about the inverted 'V' on the f/f fitting. (Bear in mind this is the one I'd discussed with them on previous occasions, and they'd said they'd not got the wood to do it, fair enough, but they'd get hold of it and put the wall end right.)

The first guy flatly replies that he didn't know about it and has never discussed it! Yeah right, the words "Pants on Fire" spring to mind.

So I go into the kitchen & look the guy squarely in the face (maybe he didn't realise I was in the house) and ask the same question. He cannot look me in eye as he replies that yes, maybe it was mentioned* but he doesn't recall all that well.

* [see post: Remedial Work 03-Sep-08]

After a subsequent protracted investigation, Fitters4 found that ...

(a) Fitters1 had fitted a worktop which was ever so slightly warped; they should have checked it with the spirit level before fitting so that it could have been replaced at the time.

(b) Fitters1 had also seemingly lost the use of their spirit level when fitting the left side of the cabinet. It is not vertical, and Fitters4 went on to determine that in fact the whole cabinet is not fitted correctly; consequently both fridge and freezer are out of kilter. It is impossible to get them right as a result because you're always going to have a 'V' gap somewhere along the line. And because of the worktop you're always going to have the top not right.

Solution?

Well, technically that's not our problem is it, because these people are supposed to be the fitters, the ones with the Solution.

Apart from, in reality, it is very much our problem because we're the ones stuck with it - and they couldn't give a fetid rat's kidney.

Ideally, what should happen is this:

MFI take responsibility for Fitter1 being incompetent, and replace the WHOLE corner - worktop and cabinet structure, and refit the appliances correctly.

Bets are currently being taken for what MFI actually propose.

Surprisingly (not) the installations manager's mobile phone rang out to voicemail this morning. Hmm.

We await a call back.

- - -

At the top of this blog is a fair assessment of how we hoped this would go - they messed up, we gave them the opportunity to put it right. And we hoped, and believed, that they WOULD put it right, and that this blog would be a TESTAMENT to that resolution. They still could.

We have given them ...

TIME

OPPORTUNITY

UNDERSTANDING

... even though we have had to put up with FIVE MONTHS now of remedial work and personal stress, and as a result the house has not been ready to receive guests.

That darn butterfly again...

...or "One of Our Tilers is Hissing".

So it turns out that the integrity of the plastering was indeed compromised by the way that Fitters4 removed the previously hacked worktop, as we have been advised that the way the wall now 'curves' out prohibits a vertical tiled surface.

Another big Boo Hiss rears its now familiar head.

Remedial Work: Wed 3 Sep 08 - still not right

Fitters4 were just as floored as I was to find that the wall end panel which had been delivered a day early was, in fact, the Wrong Panel.

Fitters4 did all that could possibly be done, or at least all that could be done with at least a modicum of effort (at the Very Least), to rectify the light switch which looked like it had been plastered in by Shrek on acid. They also put sealant round the back of the sink (hurrah! the sink finally looks like a half decent job!) and half-heartedly drilled the floating junction box back ONTO the wall (wait till I post THAT pic). Note how I say ONTO. Not "into". No. It's still very much a separate entity from the wall. It's just attached to it now, rather than adrift from.

They agreed about the invert-V shaped gap next to the freezer.

So they'll have to come back again when the correct end panel arrives, and bring another new piece to tailor between the freezer & back wall.


Meanwhile...
I mentioned to a colleague at work that we were approaching the 4 month anniversary of remedial work. She replied that they'd had exactly the same problems - wrong deliveries, stuff not fitted right, getting fitters back to redo stuff, and in the end they'd given up and decided to Put Up With It. I wonder if Customer Putting Up With It is one of the key remedial strategies on MFI's customer satisfaction charter?