We spent £22k on conservatory but haven’t used it for 4 years after a builder row – my wife’s terminally ill, it’s awful
A COUPLE who spent nearly £25k on a conservatory are fed up after being unable to use it for four years following a builder row.
Stephen Stafford, 37, and Jen, 38, paid £22,023.10 to have a conservatory built at their property in Newcastle by home improvement company Pennine.
"It's absolutely devastating. These last four years have gone from being stressful to being horrendous."
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The dad-of-two said that, before signing up for the build, he explained to Pennine about Jen's condition and highlighted his concerns about the conservatory being too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer.
And he claims Pennine gave him a demonstration and reassured him that that wouldn't be the case.
However, after the conservatory was built in May 2018, Stephen said his fears turned into reality with the conservatory far too uncomfortable for Jen.
Stephen claims he complained to Pennine and they offered to fit a solid roof for another £15,000, which they could not afford.
He claims they then offered him a second option of replacing the glass in the roof with a higher quality glass for another £3,883.
Stephen said: "At that point I felt that we had no other option. We were completely priced out of any prospect of getting a different roof put on.
"We were trapped as Jen couldn't use it. It wasn't suitable so, in the end, we had to try and do something to reduce the heat coming in so we went with it.
But the company hit back against the claims from the couple.
A Pennine spokesperson said: "Mr Stafford has had market-leading glass installed in their conservatory that reflects 83% of solar heat.
"This means that the conservatory would be cooler in the day time; however, 27% of that heat still enters the conservatory.
"At night time, the glass would reflect heat produced internally from a heat source like a wood burner making the conservatory warmer in winter months.
"However, at the height of summer, as temperatures can reach extreme heights, it should be noted that the conservatory still has normal glass surrounding the frame which will allow in solar heat and the conservatory will still require ventilating as any normal room would.
"As Mr Stafford remains unhappy with the product (although there are no failings with the product), and in appreciation of his personal circumstances, we have offered Mr Stafford £1,000 towards the cost of a heater or cooler system in which we will deduct from the remaining balance from his account that is outstanding from the installation of the new glass. This offer has been rejected.
"Pennine has experienced many challenges that have delayed us in attending to Mr Stafford’s reported issues with other parts of the product, in which we have apologised for and thanked him for his continued patience whilst we organised the repairs under the 20-year guarantee.
"Pennine’s reputation is built on delivering the best possible products and customer service, and we have been working hard behind the scenes to minimise any disruption to the service we deliver."
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Pennine added that they were still experiencing effects from Covid which caused unforeseen challenges that affected their service.
The statement continued: "Nevertheless, we can be confident now that these have been overcome and customers have seen a marked improvement in the service they receive from us – Mr Stafford included."