A mum claims she suffered a "nightmare" nine-month wait for Wickes to fix her bathroom - and her health suffered. Catherine Bull, 45, employed the company to update her bathroom late last year.
The single mum-of-one says she spent more than £8,000, with Wickes sending out a contractor in January. But Catherine, from Frome, Somerset, says problems started when she found leaks and holes.
She says her bathroom has since been finished - but claims her health has suffered. Wickes apologised in a statement.
But Catherine said: "It’s been a nightmare. It’s been so horrible and whenever I contacted Wickes they just didn’t seem to care. If they had just come at the start they’d have found and fixed all the leaks before they became a problem.
"Now I’ve had to live with damp and it’s definitely affected my physical and mental health. We've been ill and unable to shake it off, and I've been an emotional wreck because of all the constant battles.
"And I’m worried there might be lasting damage to my home." Catherine, a care co-ordinator, shares her three-bed home with daughter Sophie Anthony-Bull, 19, a beautician, and Sophie’s boyfriend Morgan Russell, 21, a tarmacker.
They were excited about replacing their 16-year-old bathroom when they chose the new design last December. Catherine says she paid Wickes £7,500 for the bathroom equipment and a further £1,000 to the contractor when he started work at the end of January.
Her small bathroom was estimated to take two weeks to complete. But she noticed little progress by the end of week one, she claims, so called Wickes, who sent out an installation manager.
Then, when the two weeks was up the contractor downed tools and left, she says. Catherine says the 'finished' job was beset by problems, including a leaky sink and badly-fitted tiles - and an ordeal then followed.
She said: "It was all unfinished. It was nothing like the bathroom I expected."
Catherine says she called Wickes after the two weeks were up but it was March before anyone came out to her again. She says she also wrote to the CEO of Wickes explaining she wasn’t happy and employed an ombudsman.
Wickes agreed to rip out the new bathroom and start again, but said she'd have to wait - possible months. But Catherine said this was unacceptable - and the problems continued.
By September water leaking from the bathroom was dripping into her hallway and the ceiling was ruined with damp, she claims. A plumber also told them not to shower because water was leaking around the bath where it wasn't sealed properly, she says.
Fed up, Catherine claims she threatened court action. Wickes then agreed to refit the bathroom and work started on November 14 - which has now been completed.
But Catherine said: “Sophie got sick with sinus problems at the start of September and hasn’t been able to shift it. I got a respiratory virus at the beginning of October and I usually shift them really quickly, but I had antibiotics for a week and I was still sick at the end of the month.
"[Wickes] just don’t seem to get that this is my home and they had a duty of care to me and my family. We’ve been sleeping in the damp while it gets colder and colder while they just weren’t listening or doing what they needed to rectify the situation.
“It’s just been horrible. I’ve been a full-time working single mum in order to pay for this - life is a battle enough without this."
A Wickes spokesperson said: "We are very sorry to hear about the problem that Ms Bull has experienced with the installation of her bathroom. We are also assessing the damage caused to the customer’s property and are in contact with Ms Bull to discuss the best course of action to ensure this is repaired.
"Our installation service currently works on a 12-15 week lead time between the purchase and installation start date. Unfortunately, we do not offer an emergency callout service however we aim to rectify any issue that occurs as soon as possible.
"Our customer relations team will remain in contact with Ms Bull to ensure this is resolved quickly and with the best possible care."
