Legal-ish problem

pvr

pvr

Dutch
 Ruler of the South East UK
Earlier this year, I had bought the garage tiles which are made from 7 mm plastic studded tiles. All well, looked great, I posted the pictures.

Within a couple of weeks, where the tyres are resting on the floor, the tiles became stained. This is for both the X5 as well as the Z. It is a perfect tyre print but it can not be removed, tried everything.

I contacted the supplier who is refusing to replace the tiles without charging me for them as they say it is not a fault of the tile, but an external influence that has stained them. After I mentioned it the first time as soon as it happened, they sent some wax to help protecting the tiles but obviously it did not clean the marked ones.

My view is that the tiles are not fit for purpose if they are sold as garage floor tiles, normal tyres should not leave prints (yellow ones) that can not be cleaned.

Any thoughts on how to proceed ?
 
Tricky.

Fit for purpose. They could argue that they are a supplier of floor covering and that's what you got. Unless you expressed a requirement at the point of contact that you now feel is not serviced, then they may be considered fit for purpose as they cover the floor of a garage.

Look for any implied or explicit description of the product that implies the durability that you expect from something that will be used in a garage.

Otherwise, use charm. I.e. If they do t replace, you will start telling the truth about them
 
Were there any instructions given to use a sealer on them after they were layered?
 
Are you aware of any other users of the tiles, always useful to know how other users are getting on with them and if they are having your sort of problems?
Are you dealing with a supplier or Manufacturer?
Have you googled the product to see if there are similar problems posted on line..??
 
Depending on the value of the tiles, you could pursue through the small claims court?

Nip into your local county court and ask. You'll need to tell your tile supplier that you're going to raise an action, then do it.

Small claims are done through arbitration, and aren't court cases as such.

A small claim threat might scare him Ito a refund or replacement.

Small claims can take a while to sort out though, so don't expect a quick resolution.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The manufacturer publishes their photographs here

with the product purchased described as 7 mm heavy duty garage floor tiles: Garage Floor The floor was over £1200 so I was expecting something that would look and stay nice as per the pictures.
 
I would agree, not fit for purpose. Sold as Garage Floor and Workshop so should keep reasonably clean in a normal domestic garage.
 
This is from where the X5 is parked:

plko.jpg


This is from the M:

xe1.jpg
 
Get the supplier to visit and inspect in person. Then you can put your concerns to him as not being 'fit for purpose'.

Have you picked up residue on your tyres from newly laid tar macadam paving as that would leave stains?

The light grey, is however, a very unforgiving colour for that situation.
 
That's odd... I'm guessing these tiles are white on the inside as well? So there should really be a way to get them cleaned somehow? Have you tried talking to specialist cleaner or detailer?

As for the legal issue... I don't think there is much you can do, unless the product itself states it is to be used as a garage floor. If so, then the seller should be able to point you to the right detailing product. If it does not specifically state to be made for a garage floor, than "unfit for purpose" probably won't be a strong argument?

I would try looking further into getting the right cleaning product...
 
I have contacted them but they don't want to know. They state that the product has not failed and that it is caused by an external influence (i.e tyres).
 
Bad_Pritt, tiles are solid so the same colour all the way through. I have tried all types of cleaning products on them.

When I reported the problem first, they sent a cleaning company rep around who left two products. I tried both with no effect. The product is sold as a garage floor as per my link above.

Note that the black tiles are stained as well.
 
To add to this - the M had not left the garage and not been on the road as it was laid earlier this year. I only moved it on the drive whilst laying it and put the car back afterwards. The stains were there within a week when I moved the car out again to finish it around the edges.
 
Is the fact that they subsequently provided a wax to treat the tiles after the initial installation and first complaint, not an admission that as originally supplied they weren't fit for purpose?
 
They are sold as a flooring material suitable for workshops and garages, and the company brochure shows cars parked on the floor tiles. I would argue that they are not fit for purpose as you have used them exactly as advertised and they have become rapidly and permanently discoloured. I would visit them in person and inform them that you will start legal proceedings if a solution is not offered.
 
pvr said:
I only moved it on the drive whilst laying it and put the car back afterwards. The stains were there within a week when I moved the car out again to finish it around the edges.
Click to expand...

Sounds like there is a chemical reaction between the surface of the tiles and the rubber in the tyre. As this supplier, in my opinion, is failing to address the problem is it not possible to speak to other clients who have had these tyres fitted in a showroom situation (rather than a workshop) to see if they have experienced similar problems? I guess the tyre staining is not so noticeable on the black tiles?
 
Some interesting stuff about staining on this page:

http://www.ecotile.com.au/garage.htm

Not sure if it is the same issue, but might be worth a read.
 
That sounds the exact problem! In practical terms it would mean you can never have a checkered format on the floor than as it will always cover some of the lighter tiles.

I replaced a few tiles from the spares I had and waxed them first, which seems to have stopped the staining on those. That is why I want the company to replace the stained ones as with protection, it seems to work better (but was not informed that it needed anything). Not sure how often it needs waxing either.
 
pvr said:
That sounds the exact problem! In practical terms it would mean you can never have a checkered format on the floor than as it will always cover some of the lighter tiles.
Click to expand...

Exactly as I thought. It's a chemical reaction and interesting to note it's a particular problem with sports tyres. You design is pleasing aesthetically but not particularly practical. A real shame and a bit like the lovely off white/cream carpets favoured by designers in show homes! I would have expected the supplier to have issued a warning to you when you selected the light coloured tiles.
I know it's spending more money but can you replace the stained tiles with black ones?
 
I wonder if you could put rubber "runner" mats down where the wheels will go? kinda like this:

http://www.kraco.com/media/import/1-Pc-Premium-Multi-Season-Heavy-Duty-Rubber-Runner-Mat-K2520A-Gray.jpg

Not sure how it would look though. Am considering flooring my garage so something I will need to consider myself.
 
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