We had an £8,000 bathroom installed by B&Q two years ago. In August 2017, a B&Q plumber replaced the shower splash boards because water had penetrated behind them. Eight weeks later, we noticed water across the kitchen ceiling. An emergency plumber from Anglian Water discovered water pouring behind the splash boards. He isolated the shower and stated the problem was due to poor installation.
When the B&Q plumber returned, he couldn’t find the source of the leak and deduced the Anglian Water plumber must have stopped it.
Within weeks, the wallpaper on a wall dividing a bedroom and bathroom became damp and mouldy. The plasterwork was crumbling and a skirting board beginning to come away from the wall.
Despite accepting in a letter that the damage “seems to be B&Q’s liability” a B&Q manager insisted we claim on our home insurance. This would leave us out of pocket as we would have to pay the policy excess and any consequent increase in our premium.
PD, Taylor, Lincolnshire
B&Q says: “We are committed to supporting the customer and helping him find a resolution. The information provided so far has been insufficient to determine whether the installation caused the issue. In these instances, we would always refer the customer to their insurer, as they are best placed to help identify the source of the problem.”
Its intransigence is extraordinary. You point out that no water pipes existed along that wall before the shower was installed, and that no one except B&Q installers and the emergency plumber have touched them since.
The plumber, in a written report, places the leak as stemming from a feed pipe to the shower which, he writes, has been inadequately fitted.
B&Q’s manager declared in a letter, after his inspection, that the liability seemed to lie with B&Q. Then, in the next paragraph, warned that this was in no way an admission of liability.
When I point this out to B&Q it merely repeats the same statement.
Five months on, you are awaiting a decision by the Furniture Ombudsman. If this doesn’t stir the DIY giant, you can consider the small claims court. As for B&Q’s “support” it has, shamefully, done nothing beyond buck-passing.
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