Monday, July 28, 2008

Wrong Fireplace installed!!

We realised this week that the fireplace installed is not the one we paid for. We paid for the top model from JetMaster and instead received the mid-range model which is a minimum of $500 cheaper. After discussions with Eden Brae, it was discovered the fireplace was changed because it would not fit in the space provided and the site supervisor told Jetmaster to install the mid-range unit. None of this was discussed with us and we were never notified of the change. Had we not checked the contract we would not have known.

At least Eden Brae came to the party immediately and will provide us with a cheque for the difference but we were disappointed the substitution of the fireplace was not even mentioned to us until we discovered the difference ourselves.

We have moved in now and our appliances are being installed tomorrow.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Providing the monetary difference isn't good enough. I bet you just want what you paid for and how dare they NOT tell you. Sorry to hear that you have been having problems with your place. I really enjoy your blog. Annalisa

jamie&kath said...

Exactly. We did want the right fireplace but the windows were not separated far enough. At the end of the day, it's a blessing in disguise because the bigger fireplace might have been too close to the side of the lounge.

Cheers,
Jamie and Kath

Anonymous said...

I am really enjoying reading your blog about your experience.
I am looking to build the Windsor from Eden Brae and it is great to see a detailed blog of what has happened good or bad.
I am a bit concerned about how long it is taken all together from beginning to settling. It seems over 1 yr???

jamie&kath said...

It's almost 2 years since we started. Construction began in September last year.

hermyleen said...

Hi,

I've been following your blog and can't believe how bad edeb brae have been; they're suppose to be one of the better ones...would you build with them again if you had the choice? we've almost finalised our contract which has taken almost three months and I'm worried that we'll have to go thru all the issues you guys have gone thru. Not sure if I'm ready to deal with it all. Not sure if we can get out of it either???

jamie&kath said...

We don't think we'd build again. You're lucky it only took 3 months. Ours took almost 12 months. We wouldn't build with Eden Brae again, more because the flexibility just isn't there any more. We definitely would not have the same site supervisor. He expects you to accept slight variations to what you want because of mistakes but in the same breath won't lift a finger to do you any sort of favour if you wanted to change something a little bit.

Once you go up the chain a bit you find the people are more concerned with customer satisfaction.

Our CSR told us we were very pleasant and very patient compared to some of their other customers so perhaps we didn't make enough noise.

Anonymous said...

Thanks guys , nearly choose to do business with them look like I better stay away, however site manager play a big part I have 2 freinds that use the same builder one is extremely happy , the other one go though hell, anyway you guys process is not the worst one I heard, also happy for you guys look like most issue sorted out.....anyway I heard bad things about them else where as well

Anonymous said...

We bought the Eden Brae plans and from the start to finish took 5 months. We only dealt with the builder and any issues he handled as after all it was his ruputation. Fact is we had no issues

Anonymous said...

Hi guys,

We are three weeks into construction with our new Eden Brae home and already have hit the wall of inflexibility.
We noticed that some bulkheads we have in the living areas are a little lower than we anticipated, and asked Eden Brae for a costing to raise them (the frame has only been up for a week). The response was it cant be done. When I asked why, they said that it was too late in the constructon process and no post contract variations may be made.
Unbelievable!
To top it off, I asked that the hot water flow and return pipes from the solar panels to the storage tank be insulated correctly as per AS3500 and the Rheem installation guidelines.
The answer I received was that the kemlag piping they used was sufficient.
I am a plumber by trade and now a hydraulic engineer, but the answer was just insulting.
Customer service is definately not Eden Braes strong point and I would not recommend them to anyone.
We are not overly fussy but the lack of help and downright insulting answers have got my back up now and I will be wayching them like a hawk. They certainly do not do themselves any favours in this regard.
Good luck in your new home!

B and R

jamie&kath said...

Hi B and R,

Check your contract because there are a lot of extra clauses mentioning adherance to Australian standards and manufacturer's recommendations. If the contract doesn't specify anything or specifies adherence to the standards you mention, than ask for the issue to be escalated to the construction manager because you disagree with what you have been told and also ask to see a letter from Rheem stating Eden Brae's installation method satisfies the manufacturer and the Australian standard. If nothing is forthcoming then tell them you will be in contact with Fair Trading to settle the dispute.

Normally, the site supervisor is just trying to get things done in cheapest and nastiest way possible, but the construction manager actually cares about the company's reputation.

Anonymous said...

Hi there guys.......how is your house coming along ? Yvonne

jamie&kath said...

We're in and doing landscaping. We've already noticed a couple of minor faults (chipped tiles and some movement in some joints) that will be fixed during the maintenance period.