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28th January 2021

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Leader 8th October

I don't tend to watch much television but something made me set up my laptop in the living room last evening and I switched on the little-used box in the corner. I'm so glad I did as a prominent name from the KBB industry was featured on the BBC's Watchdog.

Dolphin Bathrooms had a real slating from some of its customers and everyone who saw the programme is likely to steer clear of the company's products in the short term at least.

The sad part of it is though, that Dolphin makes fantastic products which, when fitted properly, will really enhance the bathroom experience and add plenty of value to the home. But here's the rub...

It wasn't the Dolphin products that were the problem, but the sloppiness of the fitters involved and their obvious inability to do a decent job. Well - that's not quite right; the first seemed to be doing a good job but went off on holiday part-way through and was replaced by a team that could only be described as bodgers!

I don't know whether the two lots of fitters involved were employed directly by Dolphin or were outside contractors brought in to install everything, but they were clearly to blame. If I had a change of fitters forced on me part-way through an installation I'd be a little miffed about it, but I would at least expect the replacements to be up to the job.

It's unfortunate that it's taken a story such as this to highlight the need for everyone - not just consumers - to ensure that the fitters they use are properly trained and qualified to do whatever is being asked for them. For clearly, it's not just the consumers that suffer when things go wrong, but the manufacturers too.

I look forward to being able to run some successful installation stories on Dolphin's behalf in the near future – I know there are plenty of them!

Cont'd from Front Page/

While I'm on the subject of dodgy contractors, if  you missed Watchdog it's worth catching it on iplayer just to see the chap trying to repair the flat roof.

He was using a blowtorch to heat the roofing felt to make it stick but the heat was dissipating to the part he was standing on and it was melting his trainers. Despite this, he continued to work in the same way, slowly (much slower than he wanted!) moving back and blowtorching the area in front of him. His trainers became stuck to the roof each time he moved them and his feet must have been getting hotter all the time as he would have been leaving a little bit of his trainers behind as he moved.

The BBC spotted that it looked as if  he was learning to moonwalk and set the footage to a Michael Jackson track. It was very funny.

Something else that will bring a smile to your face is Grand Designs Live, which opened its doors at the NEC in Birmingham this morning and continues until 17.00 on Sunday. This show is perfect for anyone who has an interest in interiors, build, kitchens, bathrooms, gardens, shopping, food, village and technology.  If you're self-building, renovating or simply re-decorating you’ll find everything you need for your very own grand design.

To register in advance and save some money, visit: www.granddesignslive.com

8th October 2010