Made the Taylor Wimpey Choice

New Build Inspections

new TW buyer

New Member
I've found this site only fairly recently. Maybe unfortunately for me going by TW's reputation here, I bought a 3 bedroom townhouse 6 months ago. I will be moving into the house in 6 weeks time.

I seem to have made some mistakes that people have warned me about in this forum. I have used their solicitor as they paid most of the costs and I bought based on the showhome a house which hadn't yet been built. I have turned away all optional extras as it was clear from the price that they weren't worth it. I did negotiate £15,000 off the asking price and turned their mortgage broker away when I realised that I could do better myself.

My experience so far has been nothing but positive. The sales staff have been friendly and helpful they weren't pushy or downright uninterested or rude like Persimmons were. The site manager has gone out of his way to show me around my house and houses like mine and helped talk me through the process he's even suggested alternatives to TW options and talked about what other buyers do with the houses.

I do realise that TW have let a lot of people down however and I have noted all the email addresses of who to complain to should I need to. I welcome any comments from others about their experiences and what they think I will experience.

I am not a TW employee and I'm not under duress to promote them here. I will also produce a full snagging report here when I move in. I will continue posting about how TW deal with any such issues too.

I will keep this thread updated and add any snags that appear rather than put snagging reports later.
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
Were you given no option but to use Taylor Wimpey's solicitor? If so, this is a clear breach of requirement 2.5 of the Consumer Code for Home Builders.
If they didn't give you a copy of the code when you reserved that's another breach!

Sales staff are always nice and friendly before you move in! They don't want to rock the boat and lose a sale!
The builder's sales staff are NOT YOUR FRIENDS!

What you WILL experience is well-documented on this forum.
You would be well advised to have your new home professionally and independently inspected and snagged BEFORE you legally complete.
If Taylor Wimpey say this is not allowed or possible, ask yourself why and what are they trying to hide!
 

new TW buyer

New Member
I was given more than half the legal fees if I used their solicitor so I can't really say that I was forced into it. I had someone say that if I use their solicitor, the process will go through quicker.

I was given the discount with the condition that I completed within 28 days which has now come and gone. I haven't paid them the money yet though.

I am going to get the place professionally snagged. They are due to give me the tour of the home before I move in so I may take a snagger in with me when I do this. I will definitely get the place snagged and I will publish their findings along with TW's response to those findings in this thread when they're available.
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
"the process will go through quicker" they always say this as an "advantage" or justification.
Of course it will go through quicker. Proper checks, answers to your questions, searches will not be done properly or independently.
Don't take a snagger with you, book a professional and let him inspect independently on his own.

On your "tour" the site manager will whisk you past all the defects and distract you.
For them it is just to see what you would accept and to show you where everything is and how it works. It is most definitely NOT a snagging opportunity. The Site manager will probably not even write anything down and it is a certainty that none of the things you pointed out will have been rectified before you move in!

Discount on the condition you completed in 28 days? I think you mean "exchange contracts" which is not legal completion.
Now you know why you need independent solicitor working for you protecting your interests not those of the housebuilder!
That £500 ish plastic "discount" you got is not looking too good now!

You should be expecting your new home to be perfect not have lots of defects and snags.
Housebuilders should be aiming for perfection everytime. They may not achieve it everytime, but they will achieve a better standard that they do when they accept that the home will most definitely not be perfect, so they don't even try!
 
Last edited:

new TW buyer

New Member
I'm now at war with them

The photostream (which I'll have to post in 2 posts time) will show anyone all they need to know. I will at a later date provide a youtube video, copies of the emails and post all the lies they've been trying to tell me. They're having another rectification visit soon, but I've already started preparing to get the NHBC involved.

If any moderator wants to change the title adding "and regret it" feel free to do so.
 

new TW buyer

New Member
Oh the pictures won't be able to show defects such as the cloakroom door that locks but doesn't unlock or the kitchen door which now won't even close or the vinyl in every downstairs room which is stuck directly to concrete meaning that everyone except for TW staff can feel every single bump on the floor.
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
Oh the pictures won't be able to show defects such as the cloakroom door that locks but doesn't unlock or the kitchen door which now won't even close or the vinyl in every downstairs room which is stuck directly to concrete meaning that everyone except for TW staff can feel every single bump on the floor.

Looking at your photos, apart from the bulge in the wall (caused by a bowed timber frame stud would be my guess!) all the others are snags which taken individually are very minor but taken together, show an absolute lack of care taken whilst your home was being built and an indifference to snagging and quality on handover.
Please write to CEP Peter Redfern and attach/enclose your photos.
Taylor Wimpey's CEO Pete Redfern gets paid big money and should care about his customers e mail him at peter.redfern@taylorwimpey.com
You could also write to BBC Watchdog too!

And you can also e mail Taylor Wimpey's UK Customer Services Manager
michelle.grant@taylorwimpey.com

If you have problems with your Taylor Wimpey new home let her know NOW!
 

new TW buyer

New Member
Oh yes I said I was going to post the emails, so I'll post them here.

Thanks for the reply, I should have given a bit more information on some of the snags. The bulges on the wall are in the top floor bedroom under both electrical sockets, but not above them. The wall is the joining side of the terrace as mine is an end terrace. I thought that they'd made a mess of the cabling to the sockets and plastered over them to cover up their mess, but if it's worse then I'm even happier that I turned down their derisory £300 cash settlement for that defect and that I didn't accept their earlier attempt to pass it off as being within tolerance.

I have copied Peter Redfern and Michelle Grant on all emails and will continue to do so, and I will have the youtube video out soon, hopefully within a week.

To Peter Redfern, Michelle Grant and local customer services

I am replying to an email which I sent previously to complain about the shocking service I have been receiving from Taylor Wimpey which needless to say has been ignored for over 6 weeks.

I have attached photos of my still defect ridden home to show you the extremely poor quality of workmanship and service received. Most of these defects have either been ignored when I have gone to the trouble of leaving Taylor Wimpey the keys to my house for a day on more than one occasion. Three of these defects have been met with a refusal to address them during the 28 day visit and a lies too.

I'll give you a non exhaustive list of the remaining defects.

Plasterwork on wall light next to en suite door very poor.
The front door has dents, chips and scratches which have been ignored by rectification visits.
The kitchen door does not close at all and is very badly aligned which has been ignored by rectification visits.
The lounge door is badly aligned and damaged which was inadequately addressed in a rectification visit.
The top floor has giant bulges around the sockets which I was greeted with lies claiming that they'd been measured and found to be within tolerance and a refusal to put them right.
The back garden gate is seriously misaligned. The rectification was not only a shameless bodge, but the gate is still misaligned, doesn't lock and rattles in the wind as a result of the disgraceful attempt to address already terrible workmanship. This borders on criminal damage!
The kitchen radiator is literally hanging off the wall and the plaster is crumbling away alarmingly.
All vinyl floors have not been laid properly, meaning that I can feel concrete bumps through the floor.
The closet door is cracked and has a nail protruding on the inside and a stick on strip which is coming away.
The closet door also comes within millimetres of hitting the hall light bulb which Taylor Wimpey have refused to address saying that it's where it should be according to the plan. In spite of it being downright dangerous with a bulb nearly being smashed when the door opens and inevitable damage if any light fitting is fitted.
The hot tap in the en suite is misaligned. This has been ignored by rectification visits and Taylor Wimpey refused to address this on the 28 day visit.
A part of the fence has been fitted with no preservative and is already starting to rot.
Parts of renderwork at the back of the house are crumbling away which has been ignored by rectification visits.
The French doors at the back of the house are covered in building rubble.
The plasterwork in the closet is crumbling away in more than one place.
The electric meter box is a truly shocking bodge all around see pictures.
The top floor bedroom skylight has poor plasterwork and a broken fitting.
The adhesive strip in the Juliet room doorway is unstuck.
The doorway to the top floor has also had rectification work due to a misaligned door catch. Taylor Wimpey's solution has been to hit it with a hammer and throw away the adhesive strip rather than adjust it so that it fits properly.

Hopefully this time the email will not be ignored and I'll finally have the house in the condition it should have been when I moved in initially. I am a long way from being finished with the complaints process if the faults are not addressed promptly and to a reasonable standard.

Kind regards

New TW Buyer

New TW Buyer

Thank you for your time on Friday.



I have spoken with the Production Manager responsible for your development, redacted, who has agreed it will be less disruptive to you if we delay attending to the agreed programme of remedial works until materials have been procured. On that basis new site manager will source the materials, agree a date with you that is suitable to all and micro manage the list until complete.



He will keep redacted and I updated and I in turn will ensure redacted is privy to all correspondence.



Please find my considered response to your emailed list in order –



1/ Plasterboard by wall light – master bedroom.

Make good, (r/h of en-suite door)…………………………..Patcher

2/ Front door

Various minor dents – make good…………………………..Decorator

3/ Kitchen door

Ease door. Maybe door bar to hall “catching” door?..Carpenter

4/ Lounge door

Adjust as necessary…………………………………………………..Carpenter

5/ Master bedroom

Bulges to wall. Please find options below

6/ Garden Gate

Re-align to allow use of correct latching set

– not hole drilled in timber post………………………………….Fencer

7/ Kitchen radiator

Remove and make good plasterboard – re-fix…………….Patcher/plumber

8/ Kitchen vinyl

I did not evidence “concrete bumps”

when inspecting on Friday………………………………………….. No action

9/ Door to under stairs cupboard

Replace door. Remove nail head from jamb…………………Carpenter

10/ Hall light fitting- hitting door

Move fitting along hall ceiling – as marked……………………Electrician/Patcher

11/ Hot tap mis-aligned in en-suite

This does not warrant attention…………………………………….No action

12/ Rotting fence

The area of concern has been treated and does

Not require further action……………………………………………..No action

13/ Render repair

Small area at rear. L/l bell cast………………………………………..Render patcher

Please advise new site manager of your preference on this issue. AS I explained there will be shade/texture difference if the repair is carried out.

14/ Building debris to patio doors

Clean doors

15/ Plaster work in closet

No works required here……………………………………………….No action

16/ Electric meter box

Clearly this has been left in a damaged state……………….Plastic surgeon

See below

17/ Master bedroom velux

Make good in reveals……………………………………………………Decorator

18/ Intumescent strip to door

“Juliet” room – re-stick strip to frame…………………………Plastic surgeon

19/ Door frame on 1st landing

Make good keep area…………………………………………………. Carpenter



Additional

Adjust lock to cloak door……………………………………………….Carpenter

Delaminating door to en-suite.. Replace……………………….Carpenter

Vinyl behind pan – stick…………………………………………………Plastic Surgeon



Issue 5

Regarding the bulges to the wall to the left and right hand side of the bed in the master bedroom. You are correct in your opinion that the current installation falls outside the acceptable level of tolerance. Notwithstanding it is debatable whether the level of disruption caused to you to correct the defects make the works worthwhile.

In fact the NHBC do have a caveat in their policy which allows a defect to remain if the degree of disruption is disproportionate to the benefits gained.

We did touch on whether a cash settlement may be preferable to the remedial works and on that basis I am able to offer you the sum of £300 in full and final settlement for this issue.

I await your instruction on this matter.



I do hope that you regard the above as a fair and balanced record of our discussions. However as I explained should you feel that my proposals are unacceptable you may choose to invoke the NHBC Buildmark policy Resolution Service. This is a free arbitration service provided by the NHBC in years 1 and 2.



Regards Production Quality Manager

My reply with those from head office copied on.

Good morning

I'll start with a response to the settlement with regards to the bulges to the wall. With a view to the damaging effect such blatant defect would have on any potential valuation of the property and considering the distress and inconvenience caused already and the fact that this defect has been ignored on rectification visits and the lies I was told on the 28 day visit about it being found to be within tolerance. I therefore have decided that £300 is a long way short of being adequate, therefore I will be having such defects rectified in their entirety.

For the kitchen vinyl, there is a very clear defect with the vinyl being bonded to the concrete directly which has been noticed on several properties in this development mine included, I will be taking this issue much further.

The hot tap is clearly wrong and I will also be taking this issue further.

The crumbling plaster in the closet is clearly poor workmanship or defective product and this issue will also be taken further.

I will seek independent advice on the render and the fence which is clearly a very different colour from the rest of it, note that my neighbours may also complain about the same defect.

Please note that I'm keeping records of all correspondence and photo/video diaries of TW responses and that I'll be taking an increasingly dim view of further poor customer service regarding defects which should have been rectified before I had even moved into the property.

Kind regards

New TW Buyer

My most likely action now is to see what's left after their next visit and take it up with the NHBC.
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
Good for you!
If every new home buyer who was unhappy, had issues and/or had be fobbed off took a similar stand, house builders would soon realise it is cheaper (and better for their businesses) to actually try to build quality new homes.
If there are defects, sort them out on a "no quibble" "customer is always right" Marks and Spencer/John Lewis basis, rather than attempt to bribe their own customers with paltry offers to accept rubbish quality of the product they sell.

"it is debatable whether the level of disruption caused to you to correct the defects make the works worthwhile."
It seems Taylor Wimpey will try anything in an attempt to get out of putting right their defective new homes!
 

new TW buyer

New Member
I now have a video on youtube, it is still unlisted and I might make changes before is goes live. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7x6pKoUq4E

The rectification team came yesterday and I was there to stop them from leaving with substandard repairs. They still said they couldn't touch anything that their production quality manager was preventing from being rectified and they still haven't replaced the tipsy and bodge damaged gate posts. The list of things I still have to complain about is:

The 2 bulges in the wall on the top floor
The misaligned tap
The broken skylight fitting
The concrete bumps on vinyl floor which even other Taylor Wimpey employees admitted was there.
The rotting fence panel with no preservative
Other bits of painting and patching which have been scheduled for next friday

Does anyone have a contact watchdog link? I will make use of it if possible.

I'm also planning on making a brochure of defects to post in my neighborhood and maybe nearby Taylor Wimpey sites too.
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
Re BBC Watchdog you can contact them from the link on the BBC/watchdog website page.
They wont reply, TV programme makers only spring into action a few days before a programme is due to go out.
Oftentimes it is cancelled at the last minute too.
Watchdog went downhill the moment the likes of Matt Alwright stated dumbing it down for morons in my opinion.

I know of one Taylor Wimpey buyer who even after a year, has had 45 days of trades working in his house (so far!)
Its going to be a long haul for you my friend.
 

new TW buyer

New Member
Watchdog now done. NHBC will be done by monday, I have another showdown tomorrow where I'll be issuing an ultimatum. We'll see how the next stage of complaining goes. I'll have them in front of judges if that's what it takes. I'm planning on getting more details from my neighbours before posting the brochures but it will happen. Video is now live too.
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
Don't forget the power of twitter!
You will find a lot of like minded people follow you and view your video.
Good luck and keep up the good work!
 

new TW buyer

New Member
Another email sent, to the production quality manager with all those from head office copied on.

Your teams have been to my house twice since your last email and have yet to offer any solution to the 2 giant bulges in the adjoining wall of the top floor bedroom which you originally tried to pass off as being within tolerance before offering me that derisory settlement.

If I don't have a reply saying what will be done about it and when it will be done by at 17:31 on monday 22nd September this year, I will consider this a refusal to address your substandard work on yet another count and you will then be reported and dealt with accordingly.

Kind regards

New TW Buyer
 

new TW buyer

New Member
New TW Buyer

May I clarify what I believe is outstanding in terms of defects.



The comments you made on the website I note were registered on Tuesday last week. I am aware that Danny had trades attend on Friday and he has assured me that with the exception of the bulges to the master bedroom wall all agreed works were completed.



(In addition to his list)

Regarding the crack to the plastic to the velux window I have asked new site manager to arrange with the “plastic surgeon” to attend and carry out an in situ repair.



The kick board fence panel that you were concerned about was as I thought, (confirmed by the fencing contractor), weathered not untreated.



Regards Production Quality Manager

The latest reply by Taylor Wimpey's Production Quality Manager. He's now trying to say that my rotting fence panel which is a different colour from the others has been "weathered". He still thinks that the misaligned tap, the vinyl floors stuck directly on to concrete and the bodge damaged fence posts aren't defects.

The bulges on the wall are apparently going to be addressed next week.
 

NewHomeExpert

Well-Known Member
At least Taylor Wimpey know that their Customer care is being made very public on a website forever as a record to anyone looking to buy a Taylor Wimpey new home.
Why are they arguing about a £10 gravel board? Surely it is costing them more not to do it.
Whatever the merits or otherwise, it would be better to replace it to make you a little bit more happy. The same goes for the tap!
They are doing the bulges to the wall which will be much more difficult, time consuming and expensive.

"Production Quality Manager" you have to laugh!
Clearly he isn't very good at Managing or Quality but can at least Produce homes with defects!
 

new TW buyer

New Member
"Production Quality Manager" you have to laugh!
Clearly he isn't very good at Managing or Quality but can at least Produce homes with defects!
Agree on all fronts and it did give me a laugh, would love to say is to his face if he would even dare to knock on my front door again and face me.

I've now reported them to the NHBC, and I'll try and get them and the repair to the master bedroom wall to coincide, it would be amusing to face them together and see how well they time their hyms, even junior TW staff admitted that the kitchen floor was bad, so that one in particular would be interesting.
 

Surendran

New Member
Hi
I am not sure if I can add my experience on this thread. can I?
Or for that matter the issues that I am facing since I bought a TaylorWimpey apartment in 2006.
Maybe someone will advice me on how to find a solution to the issue.
thanks
 
Last edited:
Top