Nightmare job

[stusgsx]

Hi all,
Ive been working alongside a local bathroom company helping them on the jobs from start to finish aswel as doing all the tiling and we have come across a rather fussy customer!

We knew they were going to be very fussy so we have taken our time to get everything right and spot on. The customer made it very clear that he wanted the grout line to be centre of the shower valve and the bath valves so i set the wall out so the vertical grout line was dead centre of the shower valve. This left a cut of just 2 inches at one end which i wouldnt normally do but its what the customer wanted. Horizontally i set the room out so that the top and bottom are the same measurment and it all worked out.

I got the 3 main walls tiled except a couple of tiles around the bottom of the shower tray as it has not been secured yet. I couldnt tile the last wall until the plumbing etc had been done for the toilet so i got on with backer boarding the floor and tiling it.

Anyway the bathroom fitter gets a call one night saying that he wants a different tiler and that there are at least 14 tiles that need replacing and that he wants another tiler to come and check it over. The next day im at the job and the customer has marked out the tiles he wants replacing. They are all the cuts up to the door frame and all the cuts in the corner of the shower as there is a 2-3mm gap. I explane that that he wont see any of this once it is grouted and sealed but he wouldnt have any of it and spoke to me like a bit of dirt and like i had done a terrible job throughout. I replaced all the marked tiles anyway to keep him happy. Later he comes back and sees what ive done and seems happy with it even though he didnt say much EXCEPT that he is now unhappy with the holes around the pipes for the towel rad! I had put 30mm holes around the 15mm pipes coming out the wall so the plumber had plenty of room to adjust the pipes to fit the rad and so we can put the chrome caps around the pipe anyway its never going to be seen. So he starts calling me a bodger for doing that and i explain why etc and if i were a bodger then i would of cut the tile in half and nibbled the 2 bits to fit around the pipe then stuck it back together! I said fine it doesnt bother me what size the hole is i was just making it easyer for the plumber and that i will re-do them!

This morning the bathroom fitter calls the customer saying that he wont be able to get to the job because of the snow but the tiler will try and make it in. The customer says he wants us both here as they want one of the walls completly re-tiled as he doesnt like the 2 inch cut at one end which i had to do to achive what he wanted with the grout line!

To be honest ive had enough and dont really want to go back there as i think its going to be never ending with this guy. I know i do a good job as i have a lot of happy customers and most my work is from recomendations.
What would you do in the position? Have any of you been in this position? Do i cut my losses and tell the customer to get someone else?

[kilty55]

hi,no do not cut your losses,from what you have said you have done nothing wrong whatsoever

if he specified he wanted grout lines in certain positions then so be it ,as for the holes being cut and covered with chrome caps.....nothing wrong with thate ither

and in regards to leaving a 2mm gap in internals for silicone nothing wrong with that either

now if you are the sub contractor to the bathroom companyt it is the companys duty to take control of this not you,liase with them your concerns and ask them to liase direct with the customer in regards to this .

they need to make the customer realise everythign you uave done is okay,i personally woulnt be accepting walking away from this job with no pay and make this clear to your main contractor as well

good luck and keep us updated on how you get on

[S.L.]

I experienced a similar customer, and in my own opnion the only way to deal with people like this is to stand up to them and put them in their place while still being professional about it otherwise they just keep on thinking they can treat people like that.

i realise now in hindsight its best not to deal with such people in the first place if you can.

" Give them an inch and they will take a mile."

[stusgsx]

Thanks for the reply kitty. Well me and the bathroom fitter are sub contractors so basically we are fitting a supplied bathroom. The bathroom fitter is getting very annoyed with the customer now as he has explained there is nothing wrong with the tiling and to just let me finish and see the completed job. As the customer now wants a whole wall re-tiling (8sqm) who is going to pay for the tiles and extra adhesive and labour? The customer will blame me.

And also i forgot to mention........he wanted the tiles laid the other way too! The first thing i asked his wife was "which way do you want the tiles set out?"

S.L. Yes i wouldnt have touched this job if it was one that i had quoted for

I just dont think he will ever be happy

[Sir Ramic]

Thanks for the reply kitty. Well me and the bathroom fitter are sub contractors so basically we are fitting a supplied bathroom. The bathroom fitter is getting very annoyed with the customer now as he has explained there is nothing wrong with the tiling and to just let me finish and see the completed job. As the customer now wants a whole wall re-tiling (8sqm) who is going to pay for the tiles and extra adhesive and labour? The customer will blame me.

And also i forgot to mention........he wanted the tiles laid the other way too! The first thing i asked his wife was "which way do you want the tiles set out?"

S.L. Yes i wouldnt have touched this job if it was one that i had quoted for

I just dont think he will ever be happy

Lol love it Kitty

[stusgsx]

Lol love it Kitty

WHOOPS! here kitty kitty???

[aph257]

get your bathroom fitting Company to do all the liaising with the client.

[stusgsx]

we are going to meet with customer tomorrow morning to discuss.

I cant wait to be spoken to like scum again

[andy allen]

you want to take some pics for reference......and get some spec down in writing to stop him changeing his mind on a whim, or if he wants to change his mind you can add it as an extra.

[whitebeam]

we are going to meet with customer tomorrow morning to discuss.

I cant wait to be spoken to like scum again

You should try and stop that kind of attitude from the customer as soon as it starts

[cornish_crofter]

I think there may be more than meets the eye here.

I've heard of this attitude a few times from customers (mainly men) who seem to think that they know better.

I'm wondering whether the woman has got the bathroom co in because hubby hasn't got around to doing it, thus compromised masculinity, thus he's throwing his toys out the pram!

It's never happened to me but I have heard it happening to others. One guy I know got chucked off a job over it.

[kilty55]

go get your claws right into this customer stusg,meow...over and out

[devonmark]

ask him that seeing as he knows better why on earth did he get a PROFESSIONAL FIXER in to do the tiling instead of doing it himself, they should be making programmes about these type of customers and not just about bad workmanship

[whitebeam]

Yep.....so true

[Scott]

Take some pictures! Evidence of what yu have done so far just incase it goes belly up at least you have proof of what you have done.

[doug boardley]

Unfortunately you do get this type of customer from time to time, unless there is a specific reason as to why the customer wants the tiles setting out in a certain way I always tell them how it will be set out. As for the 2mm gaps in internal corners, that is just not ok, it's how it should be done so that the silicon will grab the tile biscuit and create the best seal.

[tfs]

I agree with Doug, some would say it would also act as an expansion gap in an internal corner!

[tfs]

Just to add, if your work has been completed to a good standar (flat, equal gaps between tiles etc) and the only problem of setting out was due to his decision then, I hope that you are getting paid extra for this.

Also, if you have left an equal 2mm gap all the way down an internal corner with no lipage etc, then I would want extra cash for changing this too as this is the way and internal corner should be unless specified otherwise.

Dont tolerate this behavour as the customer crearly doesnt know what is considered to be accpetbale based on what you have told us. If he is going to demand specifics then he should highlight this to you before work commences and should be willing to pay extra when he changes his mind.

[Ken Bruty]

You could refer them to BS5385 for expansion gaps, that will shut him up, it just sounds like he either can't afford to pay for it, or he's a tight a** and just wants to try and get a discount, there's no way I would have replaced the corner cuts, he would have been put in his place. Don't give in to these sorts mate, because they can use the fact that you have re-done it as an admittance of doing it wrong in the first place, and, building their case if you see what I mean. Best of luck with it, and be firm and diplomatic at the same time is my advice. Take care mate.

[Bri]

How did your meeting go mate? Any news?

[Ceramico tiling]

very interesting post,,Im sure we have all had a similar situation.My worst one sounded very similar to this customer..Except he was running his fingers over the grout lines to feel for roughness.In this case I would have been better off cutting my losses as it seemed like a never ending nightmare that dragged on for months afterwards.Best thing though is to ask them what they think with every little detail and keep things mm perfect and charge more.

[mikethetile]

go easy here , this is leading up to knocking the price

[stusgsx]

Just an update. We had a little discussion with the customer the following day and me and the fitter came to the conclusion that ths guy was just never going to be happy. He wasnt happy that 1- The vertical AND horizontal grout lines wernt in the centre of the shower valve so he wanted either the complete valve moved or all the tiles in the room set out again so that the valve was in the centre of the grout lines. 2- The pipe that feeds the shower head wasnt centre of the shower valve so he wanted that moved. 3- The is a beem that runs across the ceiling which i had tiled (about 400mm deep) and he wasnt happy that there was a grout line along it as he wanted a full tile (which would leave a tiny cut where the wall meets the floor). 4- He wasnt happy that we had used backer board on the floor and not ply!
So we decided we had enough as it was getting us both very down in the dumps. We packed up our stuff, took all the tiles off the biggest wall, had a good hoover up and left. Later we put together a letter describing what we had done each day and the comments that the customer had said and enclosed an invoice for what we had done. Dropped the letter off that evening not expecting a reply.
The following week we had a phone call saying that it was fair and he had a cheque waiting for us. So at least we got paid for what we had done just a shame we couldnt finish the job as it was so close to being completed.

[Ken Bruty]

I'd love to have been a fly on the wall in that house! I bet he got a right beasting grom his missus. Well done for getting your money mate, result!

[stevee]

result mate , its a nightmare for sure when this happens ,nice one

im beginning to suss troublsome customers by sight/first impressions 21 months into my chosen career

i then up my quote accordingly,thinking if i dont get it .ive saved a load of grief,if i do get it ,im well payed for the grief.steve

[mikethetile]

good result and well handled , the guy knows hes a nightmare and his cheapest option is to pay out rather than be sued like the last time or the time before that or the time before that...................

[nybor62]

you know the old saying customer knows best , I DONT THINK SO ,

[nybor62]

i wonder which poor sod will have to complete the tiling for them

[enduro]

i wonder which poor sod will have to complete the tiling for them

If the customer knows what he wants he should tile it himself!!!

[deankyall]

sounds like he will be trying the old money off,or not paying scam, if he or she is not happy with you,ask to be paid a fair agreed amount for what you've done so far and then he can get someone else,sounds like you would be better off out of it,do you think if hes that determined to cause a problem you will get paid?if not then dont continue,trouble is its a bit catch 22,you could do more days there and still not get paid ,but if you walk that gives him reason not to pay,so try to agree something and if you do continue ,get him to write down what he wants, i had a customer who ordered his own tiles and was about 3 m2 short so there was not enough to do toilet next door he then blamed me for using too many??!!!! he then insisted that he was paying me to fully tile so i had to do under shower tray and behind all the pipes behind the built in furniture,unbelievable,i had the mother daughter and father all stood there having a go, they insisted that the tile shop couldnt be wrong,its like banging you head against a brick wall,the daughter actually insisted she knew just as much as me about tiling at which point i said "your the best person to finish the job then arent you" packed my tools up and started to walk,they soon changed their tune when they saw i was serious,i finished the bathroom got paid and they said "when will you be back to do the toilet?",i wont tell you what i said but gave me great satisfaction!!