Page 1 of 1

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2020 9:35 am
by werdna1234
I have taken on a DIY project to lay my patio and decided on porcelain slabs.
I found a supplier called Prices Paving in Bedale which is a too far away for collection so I ordered it for delivery.
When the order came it was left on pallets on my driveway. I never signed for it.
Working on my own it took me along time to unpack and check all the slabs, about 4 hours in fact.
As I was unpacking them I found a few with chips in which I thought was ok as I had ordered the 10% extra. But as I continued to unpack them it got worse. In the end I had 18 damaged out of 76.
It was too late in the day now to contact the supplier so I decided to call them first thing in the morning.
On calling them they asked me to send in photos and wait for them to call back.
I eventually got hold of them and they instantly took on the attitude that its not their problem and what do I expect them to do?
They made a claim against the delivery company who have refused to pay as they said when I took delivery I should have checked them before the driver had gone!
I am completely disgusted in the outcome.
Is there anything else I can do?
many thanks

Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:38 pm
by Tony McC
Contact Trading Standards.

This is something I talk about in the page about finding a good supplier - https://www.pavingexpert.com/faq_supplier_01

The low-cost suppliers often keep costs low by providing sweet FA in way of customer or technical support, while the Big Names are usually more expensive but they stand by their products and their service, genuinely trying to help when there's a problem, and often actually helping out when it's not even their product! One company with a national presence recently paid for a basic assessment of a pretty poor patio job even though it was NOT their paving that had been used, but simply because the cowboy installer had claimed he'd used their product.

Guess which supplier the homeowner is insisting on being used for the replacement patio!

Budget or low-cost supplies are all well and good if you accept them for what they are - basic products with no frills and very little other than basic consumer law to ensure you get an 'adequate' level of service. That may work well for contractors with plenty of experience, manpower to oversee unloading, etc., but for solo DIYers it can, all too often, be a false economy.