No problem should ever be solved twice
Mr and Mrs N had a driveway and pathway installed by another resin bound company in May 2015.
Despite making a significant financial investment, the driveway was not finished to an acceptable standard and Mr and Mrs N had been unable to get the company to rectify a long list of faults.
Defects within installation included: changes in colour, an uneven finish and the lifting of the (resin bound) material from the driveway.
Understandably frustrated and severely out of pocket this lovely couple resigned themselves to not receiving a satisfactory conclusion and decided to replace the driveway at their own expense. In August, on a friends recommendation, Mr and Mrs N contacted our Dorset based Approved Installer, who promptly arranged to visit and assess the situation.
Appalled at what they found, Abakon contacted us to discuss how we could work together to help the couple replace the driveway at minimum cost and inconvenience.
We went along to meet Mr and Mrs N and carry out an independent assessment on the installation. The assessment had two purposes – to ascertain what work was required and to produce a report for Mr and Mrs N to submit to Trading Standards as part of their complaint about the original installers.
This is a summary of our findings:
- The difference in colour was immediately apparent. While due to the nature of a natural aggregate, slight colour variations are always possible, the colour change at the entrance to the driveway was due to a completely different aggregate being used.
- There were clear deviations in the surface of the driveway and on the step within the pathway, where the material was higher than the edging to which it was laid up to.
- The original installers removed approximately 100-200mm from the edges of their installation in order to overlay and rectify issues with the edging - they never returned to carry out the overlay.
- There were several sections of the footpath where the material had delaminated from the concrete sub-base beneath.
- Overall, the installation and an attempt at repair work had created potential trip hazards to all areas around the house and had a detrimental aesthetic impact on this otherwise very well cared for property.
Read our Top Tips for choosing a resin bound company.
Following the assessment and discussions with Abakon we agreed to provide materials to Abakon at a discount and they reduced their installation cost.
Although Mr and Mrs N are having to pursue several avenues to recoup the cost of the new drive they no longer have a constant reminder of their ordeal and at long last have a finished drive they can be proud of.
“SureSet and their staff have been magnificent during this whole process.
Having had a bad experience with the first installer it was very reassuring to have a supplier you could trust and to know that SureSet only recommend installers who are trained to their very high standards.”
Mr and Mrs N
On 30 September, Abakon took up the original driveway which turned out to be much easier than expected because in some areas the material had not adhered to the base.
On 19 October a new driveway was installed.
“It was an eye-opener to see how meticulously Abakon prepared the surface for the new drive. On the day it was like a military operation with great organisation and precision.
Their enthusiasm was amazing and the way they worked the resin was magic.”
Mr and Mrs N
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