Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Feb 23, 2010 9:03 am Hi Team, We have our contract signing today. Hubby just called our CSC as we just wanted to double check something and I'm not entirely happy with the response. On Friday we had electrical selections and in the plans I noticed there was no skylight in the main bathroom. We have no windows in the main bathroom as it's in the middle of the house. All three displays of our home has had the skylight, when we did the walk through with the Sales Consultant both Hubby and I asked if the skylight was included. Both times, we were reassured it was (almost like it was a silly question). Today we're told it's no longer a requirement to have the skylight in the main bathroom so they've taken it out. Hubby didn't ask how much it would be to have it as when he mentioned that the plans we initialled at the Sales Meeting had the skylight she said she'd look into it further but was pretty confident it was no longer standard and that we've probably been given old plans. Would you push to get this included as standard if up to this point you've been told it's standard or just suck it up (like everything else as it's probably a lost cause. I'm also pretty confident that original sales quote doesn't mention the skylight. Thanks... We have a house in Doreen. Built the PD Kensington 24 (with Alfresco & Rumpus option). We are in...Decorating in progress...pics to come soon... Re: Would you argue this? 2Feb 23, 2010 9:08 am I would push the issue, but if the quote didn't have the skylight you may be banging your head against a brick wall. Worse case scenario is to have a skylight installed after handover. Mine was put in after completion of the house and it cost around $500. Blog is now up - http://www.jbdave.blogspot.com/ Re: Would you argue this? 3Feb 23, 2010 10:26 am jbdave I would push the issue, but if the quote didn't have the skylight you may be banging your head against a brick wall. Worse case scenario is to have a skylight installed after handover. Mine was put in after completion of the house and it cost around $500. Cheers for that Dave. Sounds like a good strategy, give it a shot, otherwise post-handover it is.. I can now see that this contract stuff and all the bits and pieces you have to be aware of and argue about is getting to me...I know this, because all morning I've been thinking about this, and not once did it occur to me to do it after handover if we couldn't win the battle Thanks again We have a house in Doreen. Built the PD Kensington 24 (with Alfresco & Rumpus option). We are in...Decorating in progress...pics to come soon... Re: Would you argue this? 4Feb 23, 2010 10:59 am if it was on plans that you have initialled, then surely that has got to count for something? they have to build it to the plans you agreed on don't they? (regardless of how old they were!) If they want to change the plans that you agreed on, I would've thought they would have to issue a variation which both parties would have to sign. "Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions." — Elizabeth Gilbert Living in our new house. Currently scaping the land. Re: Would you argue this? 5Feb 23, 2010 11:04 am donuts if it was on plans that you have initialled, then surely that has got to count for something? they have to build it to the plans you agreed on don't they? (regardless of how old they were!) If they want to change the plans that you agreed on, I would've thought they would have to issue a variation which both parties would have to sign. If the contracts are being signed today then they haven't initialled any plans, however showing you plans with the skylight in them and then removing them is frustrating. I would definitely try to get them to include it as that's what you were led to believe. However, if they don't include it for no charge I would also recommend getting it done post handover, it would have to be cheaper! 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Would you argue this? 6Feb 23, 2010 11:08 am I would ask them to put it in as you were told it was included. They can only say no RHI - BALDIVIS PERTH 2005 Bought/Finished WA Housing Centre Home 2010 Building the Benchmark with REDINK Homes in The Avalon 2013 Building the Michigan with Cont3nt Living In Highbury Estate! Re: Would you argue this? 7Feb 23, 2010 11:16 am Thanks so much for the replies. And sorry, I should have made myself more clear about the 'drawings'. The plans we've been shown were from the sales meeting where they provide you with plans that show the house you've selected with the additional options. In our case, those options were changing the 4th bedroom into a study and adding a rumpus and alfresco area on the back. Those plans have the skylight. Well, off to contract signing we go. Fingers crossed. Thanks Again We have a house in Doreen. Built the PD Kensington 24 (with Alfresco & Rumpus option). We are in...Decorating in progress...pics to come soon... Re: Would you argue this? 8Feb 24, 2010 8:53 am I am probably a bit late here however, our builder tried the same thing. Our original plans showed additional powerpoints to the plans they gave us at colours. Luckily we brought the old plans with us and picked up on it. When we pointed it out they said 'you must have old plans' and 'they are no longer current'. We sucessfully argued to have the extra powerpoints reinstated as the original plans are what we based our purchase off. Good luck and don't bend (if it is not too late) Re: Would you argue this? 9Feb 24, 2010 9:03 am Tornado_ALIVE I am probably a bit late here however, our builder tried the same thing. Our original plans showed additional powerpoints to the plans they gave us at colours. Luckily we brought the old plans with us and picked up on it. When we pointed it out they said 'you must have old plans' and 'they are no longer current'. We sucessfully argued to have the extra powerpoints reinstated as the original plans are what we based our purchase off. Good luck and don't bend (if it is not too late) Thanks for the advice! Never too late for good info I say. If it doesn't help me, it could help someone else Well team, I've just dropped in for an update. Our Contract signing was yesterday. First agenda item was the skylight. We were told by our CSC that unfortunately the skylight was removed as standard 8 months ago as it's no longer a requirement to get 5 star energy rating. So the point seemed to be that whilst unfortunate we'd been shown old plans, it was not their problem. I then restated that we had been told it was standard and also that the original drawings show the skylight, so it's reasonable for us to expect that it's standard. I also pointed out that we signed up 2 months ago (6 mths after this 'change' occured, so it's really not our problem that all site offices don't have correct drawings after 6 months) and we'd like our CSC to go to the manager and follow this up. To our CSC's and PD's credit, while we were left to look over our contract, she went and organised any variations we had picked up in our Contract during the read through and also came back with the variation including the skylight to be included at no cost, approved by management. So a win for us Am now in the process of organising a blog with copious details up to this point as a little 'thank you' present to the forum for all the help other blogs/threads have provided us. We have a house in Doreen. Built the PD Kensington 24 (with Alfresco & Rumpus option). We are in...Decorating in progress...pics to come soon... Re: Would you argue this? 10Feb 24, 2010 9:06 am Well done on pressing the issue, congratulations on the win Re: Would you argue this? 11Feb 24, 2010 10:16 am Congrats on the contract signing and for winning about the skylight... I look forward to stalking your build lol.... 2nd build here we come in Whittlesea! https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=92617 1st Build - Henley - Cooper in Doreen! (2009) https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=17354 Re: Would you argue this? 13Feb 24, 2010 11:49 am What a great result!! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22766 - my build thread! Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris. Re: Would you argue this? 14Feb 24, 2010 12:16 pm Definately late the party, and good on you for pushing the point and getting the win! That's quite a pathetic excuse. I mean i could understand if you picked up the plans before or at the same time of the change and have come back to them 6 months later. But to still have the advertising material in display homes 6 months later is pretty poor. At least cross it out, make a note that it's not standard. I mean by the same logic they could remove a bedroom and hand out an old brochure. You then go in looking for a 4 bedroom to find its now only a 3 bedroom! Pretty extreme but hey you get my point! I would have been posing the question, What else have you taken out as standard?? Do i still get walls? a roof? Sorry for the rant, but it just seams that builders always go out of the way to screw people over, and they always have you over a barrel. Some of their pricing is borderline ridiculous, but its usually either pay it or live with out it! Re: Would you argue this? 15Feb 24, 2010 12:29 pm good on ya. I had same issue with PD that i received the sales plans, when i went to sign the contracts the skylight is gone. luckily i saw that and i questioned it the CSC said that its removed becuase of the 5 star rating same as above. I then said theirs no windows to the bathroom and i need the skylight. i was ** off before with missing 32k because of not site start before march 31st 2010. i didnt had it in sign. but anyway i also pushed to the limit. so that they added it. Re: Would you argue this? 16Feb 24, 2010 8:20 pm Cheers Guys and Gals. I'm pretty happy with the win...small as it is... Cinny, I look forward to you stalking our build hahaha. Can't wait to get up there. Every time we leave I feel a bit sad, like I'm literally leaving 'home' Clueless, Elemist, Jodie, Caroline and mdzzj, thanks for the interest and the advice! We have a house in Doreen. Built the PD Kensington 24 (with Alfresco & Rumpus option). We are in...Decorating in progress...pics to come soon... Re: Would you argue this? 17Feb 24, 2010 9:59 pm Interesting that they told you it stopped being included 8 mths ago. We have a bathroom with no window and our house was constructed from march - august last year but we didn't get a skylight Blog: http://bluemistkids.blogspot.com "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, and professionals built the Titanic." Re: Would you argue this? 18Feb 25, 2010 11:51 am I can't believe they don't include them anymore as standard items As if you aren't going to want to put one in when you have no windows !!!!! Maybe they should design their houses so all usuable rooms have natural light ! We built a Paddington which has an internal bathroom, luckily our skylight was included, I daresay we wouldn't have built it if it wasn't..... Re: Would you argue this? 19Mar 30, 2010 1:46 am I'm glad you argued it. Look, the thing is that it's their problem they showed you old plans. Like any other sales-based industry, it's false advertising for them to advertise (via old plans) that something is included and then to renege on it. People who work even in retail are a lot more aware of this. If you advertise something costs X amount, or is X size when it actually costs or is sized differently, you have three options: 1. honour the incorrect amount and accept the variance as the company's fault to comply with the ACCC; 2. send out correspondence IMMEDIATELY to every single person who might have seen the incorrect offer to correct it and apologise, including ample signage all through store as well; 3. provide the person with a refund for the item if they are charged improperly. Big companies and even medium-sized ones who regularly send out correspondence or make up signage or pictures of great detail tend to have on-staff lawyers who go through these things carefully to be sure they are not breaching the Trade Practices Act. That's why you'll get a random letter from your bank or health insurer about something and then a week later another one apologising for a teeny error and explicitly correcting it. It's also why Cadbury had to pull its Boost bars from shelves for being underweight--because they advertised their weight as X grams and they were less than that, and size/extra features is a part of the promised price/deal. PD would not have come out the winner if you had pursued it to higher levels because giving you old plans is still their fault, because it's their employee who gave it to you and didn't tell you it wasn't part of it. Their employees are their responsibility, and that means that legally, they advertised the free inclusion of a skylight for the amount quoted and they must honour the deal or be forced to comply by a larger body. If the salesperson had showed you the drawings and crossed out the skylight and clearly explained it to you, or told you the skylight was included to a certain date only, you would have no recourse, but they didn't, and that's why PD caved... because honouring it would cost less than being found to be committing false advertising. Only an ignorant employee (or an employee who thought her clients were ignorant) would dare to say it wasn't her problem and they didn't have to honour the promise. They did. It might've been less clear cut than an ACCC complaint resolution because the HIA would've been involved etc, but no sales are exempt from false advertising laws, because false advertising is anti-competitive. Building the home formerly known as the PD Lawson II (Barwon) in Evadene, Tarneit Site commenced: 05/10/2009 | Base complete: 19/10/2009 | Frame complete: 23/10/2009 | Lockup complete: 23/11/2009 | Fixing complete: 08/12/2009 Re: Would you argue this? 20Mar 31, 2010 10:09 am clueless2009 good on ya. I had same issue with PD that i received the sales plans, when i went to sign the contracts the skylight is gone. luckily i saw that and i questioned it the CSC said that its removed becuase of the 5 star rating same as above. I then said theirs no windows to the bathroom and i need the skylight. i was ** off before with missing 32k because of not site start before march 31st 2010. i didnt had it in sign. but anyway i also pushed to the limit. so that they added it. Our story was the same with PD... missed out on 32k for site start ... and the latest is ... our slab had been put down 2 days ago ... we would have made it .... and our CSC was a pain to talk to .... and very unprofessional. We were ** off ... and now we push them to limits when there is a slight issue, and are making them feel the pain as well .... Bought in Nov 21 at the height of the market (classic). Good area, atrocious floor plan. BUT has land out to the left-hand side that we can extend out on (see second… 0 8781 Thanks mate. Yeah good points! Leaning towards Option 3 to get a bit extra space in the cabinets but not going too crazy high (and expensive). Would require a mini… 13 39742 Hi It came to my attention after the handover that - The facade cladding on the face and the side are not straight. -The face tapers down by 50mm from left to right and… 0 2471 |