Broken sink

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Kerbee

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Hi all. Really hoping for some advice.

I have a composite sink in my new kitchen and when the fitter was putting it in, it broke. He claims it was a faulty sink and not his fault, but the sink was sitting in the worktop the previous evening and looked absolutely fine. I even have a picture of it. He claims it was a hairline crack and wouldn't have been visible to my eye.

He went to Homebase and bought a replacement sink, but has left old one for me to return. He has now said he wants a full refund or expects me to pay.

Things haven't ended well between us. Standard 8 unit kitchen and it took him 17 days to fit. In the end I had to tell him to go because I couldn't afford him any more.

I have attached before and after pics. Am I going mad?

Thank you in advance for any advice?
 

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I take it you were paying a day rate. How much have you paid him so far?

As regards to the sink, he broke it. If he thought it was a fault in the sink, he would of told you to contact the supplier to supply a new one.

Andy
 
£1350 and he is pressurising me for another £300. I know I am a mug agreeing to a day rate. Everyone else had quoted 3 to 5 days work. I guess I will live and learn.

His excuse for not taking the sink back was that he tried, but was told it would take 4 days for an exchange and he didn't want to keep me waiting so bought a new one.

He is refusing to give my key back until I stump up the rest of the cash and sort the sink. He's also charging me for a jig he had to buy because he didn't have the right tools for the worktop.
 
Kerbee said:
£1350 and he is pressurising me for another £300. I know I am a mug agreeing to a day rate. Everyone else had quoted 3 to 5 days work. I guess I will live and learn.

His excuse for not taking the sink back was that he tried, but was told it would take 4 days for an exchange and he didn't want to keep me waiting so bought a new one.

He is refusing to give my key back until I stump up the rest of the cash and sort the sink. He's also charging me for a jig he had to buy because he didn't have the right tools for the worktop.
Click to expand...

Hi Kerbee, Im sorry to hear of your problems -having a new kitchen should be an exciting event, not a stressful one.

Andy gives good advice....its prob your best way forward. I hope your pic doesnt show the kitchen after 17days!

you should not have to pay for his tools, a kitchen fitter should have a worktop job, its a standard requirement.

I cant see what is in your kitchen that would take 17 days.
My guess would be a pro kitchen fitter might charge £700-£1000 for cabinets, worktops, appliances for an 8 cabinet kitchen (if any chippies / kitchen fitters see this please advise if wrong).
 
Last edited:
You can't price a job without being on the site.
Personally I never just fitted a kitchen.
Before getting to cabinet stage i paint, redo the plumbing, electrics, block any potential pest access, etc.
So you could go to a place that needs replastering, complete rewiring, complete new plumbing, boiler repositioning, extractor fan flue, full tiling... the list is endless and would end up charging 3 or even 4 grand to do the lot.
Differently from other jobs where it's like for like cabinets and worktops replacement, quick in and out.
 
Thank you all so much for the advice.

Mine was an 8 unit kitchen in a modern build house.

Removal of units (though I disposed of them as he refused to), removal of tiles. I had an upstand and splashback, so no retiling. Wall was in good nick, so didn't need replastering, though he did need to spend half a day making it good.

Other than that it was moving of one plug, 2 shelves put in cupboard, painting (though he didn't finish that) and vinyl self adhesive floor tiles down (I ripped up the old ones myself and again he didn't finish laying them all).

Everything stayed in the same place as my old kitchen, except the washing machine, which moved from one side of the sink to the other.
 
17 days, no wonder he was on day rate!.

Took me a long weekend to build and fit our kitchen including worktops and sink etc.

17 days is just taking the p1ss.
 
He was earning less than £100 per day??
I'm a designer and that's like me charging a client for a new imac so I can do them a logo :)
 
The amount you have paid doesn't necessarily seem excessive but that all depends on the quality of work and what is still left to be done.

4 days for a replacement sink from Homebase? He had to go there to get the new sink, why couldn't it have been swapped out there and then? I suspect that he was concerned that they would blame him for the damage.

The outstanding £300 would be consistent with the cost of the jig and replacement sink. However, as the others have said, a standard worktop jig should be part of his kit. Mind you, at a day rate of £80 I am surprised he can afford any tools.

Where did you find him?

With regards to the key, refusing to give it back to you amounts to theft. You could threaten to call the old bill unless he returns it.

The outstanding £300, tell him to lodge court papers, I doubt he will. Try to keep communications to text messages so that you have a paper trail.
 
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