Legal Question in Consumer Law in Washington

bought a damaged garage door

We had bought a garage door from a large home supply co. in June of 06 and was installed by there subcontractores on 8/06. There were 3 out of 4 panels damaged and the door is missing screws and bolts from the hardware holding the door. We called the company we bought the door from and told them not to pay the installers untill the work was complete, but I think they still got paied. They said there would be a service tech. to come and replace the damaged panels in two weeks. After calling several times and not getting any responce back I was courious what would be the next course of aciton. It is now 1/13/07. We had to clear out most of our garage to have the work done, and things were moved out on our deck while the work was being done. There are tubs of Holiday items, keepsakes and most things that wern't ment to be outside for any length of time, still on the deck getting ruined, besides not being able to use our garage. We paied over $1100.00 for the door and would like some compensation for the inconvience of being ignored. Thank you in advance.


Asked on 1/13/07, 10:47 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Elizabeth Powell ELizabeth Powell PS Inc

Re: bought a damaged garage door

You need to get your possessions under cover to protect them so your stuff doesn't get ruined.

Then you need to write a sternly worded letter to the home supply company demanding that they finish the job, and now.

Send a copy of your letter to Labor & Industries. The subcontractor *should* be licensed, and L&I should know about what happened.

You need to make sure that the home improvement place has a chance to make it right. If you rush out and hire another contractor to finish the job, they may claim you made it impossible for them to do it.

Also, Washington follows a concept called the "economic loss rule" which means, in essence, you cannot get emotional distress damages for a contract that's gone wrong (under most circumstances). So I would not hold your breath waiting to be compensated for the inconvenience of being ignored.

Sounds dumb, I know, but the fastest way I know to get a merchant/contractor's attention is to write him. Say what you said here about what happened.

I hope this helps you get this resolved. If it doesn't call your county Bar association and ask for a referral to an attorney who handles construction issues.

Powell

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Answered on 1/14/07, 1:27 am


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