A HOMEOWNER claims “absolutely terrible” workmanship left her “homeless” for several months.
Alice Gilbert was excited for work to start on her new B&Q bathroom after she bought her first home in Rowhedge.
Work on Alice’s new bathroom was delayed after pre-existing issues with her new home were discovered, but the 34-year-old claims she was unable to stay in her own home for months after her bathroom was left in a state of disrepair.
“The job was done absolutely terribly,” she said.
“I went with B&Q because I trusted them but 16 months down the line, I’ve still got no bathroom.”
The self-employed maths tutor estimates she has paid B&Q thousands of pounds and has lost thousands more in missed work opportunities.
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She said: “I’m still having to shower at the gym until B&Q actually decides to take some action and some responsibility for it as it’s their contractors that have done the work.”
Alice moved back in with her parents for more than four years to save to buy her first home and spent six months looking for her dream property.
“I got in and wanted to relax but I’ve been living in limbo and can’t relax in my own home because I don’t know when they’re going to come back and start work,” she added.
Alice says she had no choice but to move back in with family while work on her bathroom was carried out, which was elongated after B&Q failed to return her keys.
B&Q acknowledged remedial works at the end of last year didn’t meet its usual standards and the company has since offered the homeowner a full refund.
A spokesman said: “We want all B&Q customers to have a great experience when shopping with us, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to Ms Gilbert on this occasion.
“We recognise that the installation undertaken in January to March 2023 and remedial work in October to November were not up to our standards.
“We remain in contact with Ms Gilbert to resolve this and have offered her a full refund and compensation for the experience she has had.”
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