Pensioner waits four months for shower only to see 'job botched'

Richard Fry has been forced to use the bathroom sink for his daily wash after the planned installation of a new shower was delayed for four months.

The 74-year-old decided to upgrade his bath to a shower cubicle back in September of last year and used Emergency 24/7 Plumbing to carry out the work.

In October, the existing bath was swapped for a shower that had missing feet, so it could not be fitted properly and had to be left lying on the floor of Richard’s lounge for many weeks.

Shortly after the Adver reported on this issue, Richard called us back to say the new shower has been put in place at long last – but not very well, apparently.

Piping next to a wooden board on Richard Fry's newly-installed shower (Image: Dave Cox)

He said: “The plumber has botched it, it’s an amateur job, he must have had his eyes closed.

“I can’t get hold of him, he doesn’t answer the phone or ring back, his phone seems to be turned off.

“Because of all the delays, I think the company gave it to a contractor to sort out but I don’t understand what he’s done.

“I’ve had a second opinion on it and was told it would need replacing or I would never be able to sell this property.

“I feel frustrated, depressed, and fed up. In 50 years I have never known someone as incompetent.”

Richard paid more than £6,000 up-front for the plumbing company’s services and fears that replacing the shower again would add another few thousand pounds to his overall bill.

Richard Fry claims his shower was not installed properly (Image: Dave Cox)

Emergency 24/7 Plumbing’s manager Henry James previously explained that a flu outbreak among the company’s small team of staff, and delays in receiving the right supplies from abroad, had led to Mr Fry’s bathroom work taking longer than expected.

He said at the time: "We try and make sure our customer service is the priority as we value customer satisfaction, we don’t like customers upset.

"We import all our goods from abroad to ensure they are of the highest quality.”

The Adver approached Mr James for comment about Mr Fry's latest complaints but did not receive a response.

Emergency 24/7 Plumbing is a nationwide company with headquarters in London, as well as another location in Leicester, and has a team of around 25 employees.

Richard Fry waited months for a new shower to be installed - but called the plumber's work an amateur job (Image: Dave Cox)

Richard Fry with his new shower (Image: Dave Cox)