Do you honour a guarantee on work when house is sold?

[Gavin John Hyde]

I did some work for a lady a few months back just before christmas. she was selling the house and had me change some outdoor lights that had gone rusty, stopped working (bulbs non replaceable). Installed 4 new lights that the lady supplied (cheap LAP wall lights).

Had a call this afternoon from the new owner, who got my details from the minor cert that the previous owner had supplied as part of the house sale and copy previous owner had left next to consumer unit.
The new owner wants me to go fix one of the lights that has stopped working, says in the covering letter still attached to the minor certificate that I provided a 12 month guarantee on workmanship and supplied parts.

I explained as politely as i could that my guarantee was part of the contract between my self and the previous owner and nothing to do with him. Also I only fitted the lights and didn't supply them if the lights failed then not my problem.
He then quotes a load of consumer rights nonsense at me, telling me I did the work so am responsible as per the 12 month guarantee! and how do I know its not my work and it is the light that has failed. I should go out and check, where necessary fixing the issue.

I have said quite firmly no, I have no responsibility beyond that agreed between myself and the previous owner. He tells me he is going to contact trading standards of which I have no great concern about.

Would you all tell him to jog on as-well? after all the guarantee was with the previous owner. Its a bit different if you do a full job on a new build where the people who buy the house differs from the main customer but minor jobs like this is a different ball game.

 

[Leesparkykent]

I would probably go round there, check the feed to the light and if it's all good then say yeah it's the light fitting, if you want to buy a new one I can change it at a cost of xx amount.

 

[Wilko]

There was never warranty for the lights, as you have not supplied them. May I ask why he thinks differently?

 

[Dave OCD]

I agree with Lee, once had to undertake a 40 mile round trip to replace a faulty LED downlighter, I tried to agree a nominal fee just for my fuel and travelling but the bloke got really funny about it. He's the sort that'll try and get you to squeeze in extra work while there for no more than your quote too.
Strangely enough I've had a couple of calls from him about doing other work since but have found myself far too busy to oblige.

 

[Leesparkykent]

I would also add I can't buy the new light fitting as i wouldn't be able to provide a warranty onit as they are a sh!t brand.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I did consider going around in the week and checking the supply but since its light 3 of 4 and the 2 before and one connected after it still work as they should , it makes me think its just the light fitting.
I contemplated saying for x amount I can fit a new light for you if you go buy one but he seems one of those nightmare customers who would find fault with petty little things and never be satisfied.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

There was never warranty for the lights, as you have not supplied them. May I ask why he thinks differently?

He seems to think that as he has a copy of the letter and minor works cert for the previous owner who sold the house to him that as the work was done less than a year ago then the warranty on workmanship extends to him and still stands. I disputed that due to his manner and tone and said my contract was between the previous owner and myself and nothing to do with him.
If it were not for his demanding and whining voice on the phone I would in all likelihood have popped around and checked the feed to the light but given his approach I am staying clear as nightmare customer antennae is buzzing wildly..

 

[Wilko]

A quick look seems to indicate that you can specify in your T&C whether the warranty (for your work and goods you have supplied) transfers with ownership or not.

 

[NDG Elecs]

I would have asked for his email address. I would have emailed saying the previous homeowner bought the light fitting itself, and that I will happily come out and see what's wrong. If the issue is with the wiring then fine I will sort it, but if it proves to be the light fitting then a callout fee would be applied to the visit.

 

[Pete999]

The house was sold as is you have no control over the sort of fitting the previous owner supplied, go swivel comes to mind.

 

[buzzlightyear]

any work that you did before hand for the customer ,before the new owner .
the guarantee or warranties are with them .and not the new owner .
tell them to F88k off , and tell them to ring trade & standards and see
what they say then .its not a F**king car .

 

[Spoon]

I explained as politely as i could that my guarantee was part of the contract between my self and the previous owner and nothing to do with him. Also I only fitted the lights and didn't supply them if the lights failed then not my problem.

Can you please clarify. Did you guarantee the wiring and the lights or just the wiring as the customer supplied the lights?
If you guaranteed the wiring & lights the doesn't that stand for your work regardless of who owns the house?
What did your T&C actually say?
Why anyone would guarantee any equipment the customers supplies is beyond me.

 

[telectrix]

just tell the arse that you will charge a call-out fee ( £60+paid upfront by debit card or bacs) which will be refunded if the fault is down to workmanship.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

to clarify for @Spoon I only guaranteed the wiring for the lights, the lights were chosen and paid for by the customer. I made clear that I am not responsible for failure of any parts or materials not supplied by myself and its the responsibility of the owner to ensure the lights were of a sufficient quality.

My agreement with the previous owner clearly says the contract is between my self and the owner. makes no mention of subsequent owners and transferring any obligations here in.

I doubt I will be going to the house to look at the lights. If he rings me back i will once again explain there is no contract between ourselves and I have no liability..end of...

 

[Spoon]

I made clear that I am not responsible for failure of any parts or materials not supplied by myself and its the responsibility of the owner to ensure the lights were of a sufficient quality.

Well there is your answer mate. Just tell the guy this.
If he rings up again just go with @telectrix post #13. Just don't call him an arse.. He sounds like the type of person who doesn't like the truth....

 

[123]

Could say you will visit no problem, it'll cost £75...

If your work is found to be the issue, then that'll be refunded, if it's the light fitting, then it won't be.

 

[123]

And this is part of why, decorative light fittings aside I am either supply and fit or not generally doing the job. I'm not a labour only service. I have a business to run, if I wanted subby work 1 homeowner isn't what I'd be after.

If customer gets arsey about it, I say, well, you don't take a bit of fish and some potatoes down to the chip shop and ask them to cook you fish and chips!

 

[Baker1988]

And this is part of why, decorative light fittings aside I am either supply and fit or not generally doing the job. I'm not a labour only service. I have a business to run, if I wanted subby work 1 homeowner isn't what I'd be after.

If customer gets arsey about it, I say, well, you don't take a bit of fish and some potatoes down to the chip shop and ask them to cook you fish and chips!

Never done it with chips but i have took a nice extra large haddock down the chippy and asked them to cook it for me and put it with a bag of chips it was too big to fit in any cooker i had. I got the fish of my brother who works at a fish factory and it was massive.

 

[MFS Electrical]

I did some work for a lady a few months back just before christmas. she was selling the house and had me change some outdoor lights that had gone rusty, stopped working (bulbs non replaceable). Installed 4 new lights that the lady supplied (cheap LAP wall lights).

Had a call this afternoon from the new owner, who got my details from the minor cert that the previous owner had supplied as part of the house sale and copy previous owner had left next to consumer unit.
The new owner wants me to go fix one of the lights that has stopped working, says in the covering letter still attached to the minor certificate that I provided a 12 month guarantee on workmanship and supplied parts.

I explained as politely as i could that my guarantee was part of the contract between my self and the previous owner and nothing to do with him. Also I only fitted the lights and didn't supply them if the lights failed then not my problem.
He then quotes a load of consumer rights nonsense at me, telling me I did the work so am responsible as per the 12 month guarantee! and how do I know its not my work and it is the light that has failed. I should go out and check, where necessary fixing the issue.

I have said quite firmly no, I have no responsibility beyond that agreed between myself and the previous owner. He tells me he is going to contact trading standards of which I have no great concern about.

Would you all tell him to jog on as-well? after all the guarantee was with the previous owner. Its a bit different if you do a full job on a new build where the people who buy the house differs from the main customer but minor jobs like this is a different ball game.

Definitely a jog on or a formal reply stating that as the lights were not supplied by yourself they were never included in the warranty so yes you will come round and check it but should it be the light fitting and not your workmanship or installed equipment ie the cabling etc the visit shall be subject to a call out fee plus any subsequent cost to install a new fitting which the customer shall supply, As you do not supply LAP fittings.
Just be sure to make it very clear what is and what isn’t covered by the warranty.

 

[Squid]

The warranty was on supplied parts you did not supply the lights, tell them to take the light back to Screwfix for a replacement.

 

[The Ghost]

Personally I would have gone around to assay the problem, could have been future work. But I am like that! As you say your contract applied to supplied parts only and you did not supply the lights. Further the contract as you say was between you and another party. The new owner has no privity with that contract and cannot therefore rely upon it. In order for a contract to be valid there must be something of value exchanged like you did the work and the lady paid the money. I would have rather said what I would and would not do face to face. But then as you say if the alarm was ringing for nightmare customer, as you were then!

 

[Midwest]

My two penny worth. The contract you had and was paid for, was with the original owner. The new purchaser of the property, would of had any guarantees verified and confirmed by their conveyancing solicitor. Were you contacted by their solicitor to confirm the transfer of your guarantee's or warranty

Ring the CAB and see if they would advise you?

 

[MDJ]

If you didn't supply the lights then surely you cannot have a warrenty on them, usually if you do supply them you can take them back to the wholesaler, in this case you cannot so get the new householder to ring the old householder and ask them to take the light back lol, what a complete farce.

 

[Squid]

I think some people need lessons in "assertiveness" just ask knob if he likes travel and sex..........

 

[suffolkspark]

Just block his number

 

[Octopus]

I would be confirming to the new owner that I would be willing to come round and check (as a matter of good will) that the parts I had supplied were not faulty.

If the lights are faulty, then my minimum first hour charge of £50 applies, plus the cost of any parts and / or additional time.