Anyone Threatened To Use Today Tonight / ACA And Got An Outcome?

[fionas]

OK, kitchen renovation has turned into a complete debacle. Cabinets installed on 26 October. Stainless steel benchtop will not be installed until 9 February.

In the meantime, we have not been able to use the new kitchen due to another series of disasters (too long to explain and besides the point). Ultimately, this has meant that we have two kitchens in one open plan living/kitchen/dining area with basically no living space. This is our only living area. For two adults, a teenager and a toddler. Very frustrating and quite depressing. We can't even all sit around the dining room table.

Anyhow, I have repeatedly asked the company to talk to me about a refund. At first they kept fobbing me off with the line that they would discuss a refund after the kitchen was finished and they'd done a full inspection. A week ago I wrote to them explaining that this was not acceptable to me as it was the delay that was making me ask for a refund, not the quality of the workmanship and that the kitchen did not need to be finished for them to determine whether a refund was justified for the near four month delay.

I subsequently got a call saying that the company apologised, wanted to know what sort of refund I was after and that the guy would speak to Head Office and see what he could do and I should hear back within a week.

So today I asked for an update and they have given me a date when the kitchen will be finished but have gone back to the old line of "we'll discuss the refund after the kitchen is finished."

Have basically given them a week to refund me some money and threatened them that I will go to Today Tonight/ ACA if the money is not in my account by next Friday.

Obviously they are relying on me to have no energy to fight once the kitchen is actually finished and obviously once it IS finished it's not an interesting story, particularly without the visuals showing what chaos we've been living in.

So, that whole long-winded piece was really to ask whether anyone else has been in a similar situation, if they have threatened to go to the media and if it's worked and helped get a fair outcome?

[~*Kat*~]

I have not been in ur place but I say go for it hunni
I dont see why u cant
That company is not a good 1 to deal with and its not good enough to treat u like that
How cant they expect u to raise and feed ur family when they have stuffed u around like this

[*Infinity*]

Sorry to hear that you're going through renovation dramas fionas...as if renos aren't stressful enough?!

No, I haven't ever been in the type of situation you're in so consequently haven't needed to call in the media, but I wondered whether you've tried to contact Consumer Affairs or an ombudsmen in your state for the industry concerned? Usually they have some type of avenue to give you some support and possibly give the company in question a bit of a push??

Just a suggestion. Good luck!

[fionas]

Yep, I know what you're saying Infinity but I think with agencies like Consumer Affairs that they would take a long time and we'll also be putting our house on the market shortly so time is an issue.

I've also worked in PR so I know that the media is the quickest way to ruin a company's reputation and far less time-consuming than using legal channels.

I just really resent companies like this treating their customers really badly especially when it's a very well known company and we've paid an arm and a leg.

[AliBaby]

We once threatened to go to ACA or TT when a very large and well known pet store in Sydney sold us a sick puppy (knowingly) for $1200

After we went through the trauma of weeks of touch and go and stress and worry, he came home and then I found out they were selling the rest of the puppies who survived the illness for half the price. When they wouldnt give us half the money back for him and replace all of the bedding, toys, bowls, etc that we had to throw out because of the virus he had and how contagious it was, DP called and said how appauled he was that they werent listening to me and that we would be contacting ACA or some well known AM radio personalities in Sydney, they change their tune and told us we could have whatever we wanted.

Good luck. Sounds awful to be living like that. Take lots of photos and document all phonecalls to them

[fionas]

That's very encouraging AliBaby - just what I needed to hear!

[Lulu]

I'd try AM radio too. I'd also give VCAT or Consumer Affairs a go as well. It might not take as long as you think. Often they get worried when they get the first phone call explaining they have opened a case and get a rocket up the kyber.

I never went to court, the guy I was chasing settled rather than have to go through it.

[Pandora]

Yep, 3aw and the other media you mentioned.
Call the Dept of Fair trading as well/

[fionas]

Am a genius. They have agreed to a 40% refund which is around $10K.

DId it without spending anything on legal fees though I just quickly got some legal advice and lawyer said, "wow, that's massive, that's a great result, you should be very happy with that."

All this despite them sending me threatening legal letters that scared me for about five minutes.

As my friends said, "they don't know who they're dealing with."

And thanks for Consumer Affairs tip Lulu, they couldn't act for us in this case but the information they provided me with gave me more ammunition against the company with which to threaten them with Today Tonight.

[Jaycee]

Well done, that's a great outcome!

[Life is Good]

Yeah well-done!! We are having a similar issue with our bathrooms (we inherited them with the house) - just poor workmanship that is still under warrantee. I always wonder about the ACA and TT threats because companies often see that as just a threat and something that would likely not happen (realistically, there are millions of stories like this and only so many slots in the programme!). I would rather threaten with local media and local publications like the radio (as Lulu said) or the local newspaper. That speaks volumes because they invariably rely on local clientele and they would realise that it would be so very easy for you to write something and get it published or broadcast. Anyway, hardly applicable now...but something that I have seriously thought about doing!!

[fionas]

Sambo - I highly recommend going to Consumer Affairs as Lulu suggested earlier. Just give them a call, you don't need to fill out their complain form in the first instance, just get some advice over the phone which takes a matter of minutes.

I used to work in PR so am reasonably familiar with what media will and won't run and TBH I haven't really seen local papers running this stuff. Their journos have to file a lot of stories per day and these sorts of things can take a lot of work hearing both sides of the story and if they get the facts wrong, they're probably leaving themselves open to defamation. And they wouldn't have the dollars that a big TV company does to fight legal battles.

It sucks though.

[Life is Good]

Good points, Fiona - I hadn't thought of it from that perspective. Why can't people just do things properly the first time around?!! Thanks for the info

[Epacris]

Ahh Fiona, I have been following your kitchen disaster story with interest and lots of sympathy. I can't believe you had to go through all of this while TTC and then early pregnancy with your SPD. I am so happy to hear that you have got a "result"! Great news, well done to you!

I hate to ask this but I just have to know... eeek.... So is it finished yet? Do you have any idea of when it will be finished? Is this company going to finish it or do you now have to get someone else in?

[Lulu]

Terrific result Fi!

Suppose we won't be "busking" out the front of their shop then?

[Heaven]

YAY!!!! Well done!!

[fionas]

Ahh Fiona, I have been following your kitchen disaster story with interest and lots of sympathy. I can't believe you had to go through all of this while TTC

... and while buying and selling a house and dealing with RE agents, conveyancers, banks, gardeners, painters and interior designers. AND with DSD deciding this would be a good time to play up. AND whilst still trying to ... OK, enough, am even giving myself a headache now.

So the last few weeks have been very full on.

Kitchen gets finished Tuesday.

No busking required which is kinda sad!

[Epacris]

Oh yeah and your DSD... and more too...

Wow, you've had a massive few months. Wishing you all the very, very, very best for relaxing 2nd and 3rd trimesters.