Below the line

(Far, far too long a blip. Another one for my records.)

On 16 September last year I went to London to visit Ecovia, a passive-house windows manufacturer which my architect said he’d worked with well before. I don’t know why the windows manufacturer I’d visited in June 2021 at the same architect’s recommendation had disappeared off the radar. Maybe I should have asked.

It was a good visit. Though they were expensive, I liked the windows. I liked the people and they understood my timescale. If we moved fast, the windows could be ready in 15 weeks, by the end of December.

A week later, on 23 September, I got an email: ‘In the interests of expediency, I attach an acceptance of quotation document and the 15% deposit invoice. If you are able to sign this and return it along with the deposit invoice, the manufacturing slot can be booked and the work passes to the contract team … There are a few queries still outstanding, these will be all picked up by the contracts team. The contract is raised once all the manufacturing data is collected and the price finalised at that point. This is the fastest way to get this order moving, and I know that time is very important.’

I’d rather have spoken with the architect but he was on leave so a working day later I signed and paid so that, in Ecovia's words, ‘the contracts team can begin work drawing the windows even while the architect is away which will save time. We can have a separate conversation about what you might like to do with the entrance door and update the contract accordingly, but we shouldn’t let this hold anything up.’

On 11 October I still hadn’t had a chance to talk with the architect so I sent Ecovia a suggested variation on one of their standard front doors because they'd suddenly told me ‘we should not spend too long finalising this as entrance doors take longer to manufacture’.

On 13 October, Ecovia asked whether they could visit the house ‘tomorrow’ to measure up. Finally, speed. 

Two weeks later Ecovia sent the drawings to the architect: ‘Apologies for the delay ... Looking forward to seeing your comments and getting this soon into manufacture.’ That was a Thursday.

The following week the architect was on leave and Ecovia did not chase him until the Friday of the following week, 11 November, ‘I’m conscious of the time the products are required on-site which we had initially been aiming for. With our current lead times, if we can get the order into production by the end of next week, we will be looking at mid-end February, so we would like to move forward as quickly as possible.’

What?! It was exactly eight weeks since I'd first visited them and seven weeks since they'd said they were booking the manufacturing slot so that they could deliver seven weeks from the date of this message and they were already 6-8 weeks behind on that schedule? Give them grace for the factory being closed for three weeks over Christmas and for the architect taking two weeks to agree rather than the one they might perhaps expect but even so.

My email, ‘I am alarmed at this new date - I wasn't aware that anything was outstanding other than my final decision on the door design and colour,’  fell into a void while the next frustrating few days involved architect, builder and Ecovia toing and froing to get accurate dimensions. So the windows were still not put into manufacture.

Tue 15 November I got a reply: ‘We have now received all final dimensions and have begun processing the contract so we do not lose any more time. We are aiming to have your contract with you by latest tomorrow. The lead times only take effect once we have all final information agreed and signed off. [It was on 23 September that they’d told me that if I signed and paid then the manufacturing slot would be booked.] This is because the factory cannot begin correct material procurement for production until they have this data. Please be assured we will be doing all that we can to get this into production as quickly as possible to mitigate any further delay.’

Am I in an echo chamber?

Wednesday 16 November, so eight weeks after my first visit and five weeks after I’d agreed to the front door they’d designed, ‘Please find attached the entrance door external elevation. Please let me know your thoughts to proceed or any amendments you would like… Please [also] find attached your Contract Issue A. This is a final opportunity to make any amendments should you require any. After the contract has been signed, along with the associated payment being made, your order shall be put into production.’

Two more days of toing and froing, including me looking in forensic detail at windows drawings and specs and correcting an appalling, unworkable change that someone had made, then:
18 November ‘Any chance of meeting the 4pm deadline? I have the cash ready to transfer but am not sure it would go through in time. I have a scan of the signed page of the contract. I am in London today and can get to Ecovia if I need to and if decisions are made in time.’
I went to their office, signed the contract and transferred the money they wanted (50% of contract value) in front of them before the 4pm deadline.

On track again. Phew. All I need to do now is wait for mid-February.

10 January, by which time the windows and front door should have been in production for 8 weeks (less the 3-week Christmas closure), Ecovia emailed: 
‘The factory have sent a manufacturing notice that regrettably the [variation we suggested to the front door is] no longer going to be possible…
___________________________________
there was a black line but the email continued below:

‘We had hoped for the delivery estimate to fall in by the end of February, frustratingly the factory close period has offset this into March [as if they didn’t know that their factory would be closed and hadn’t told me so countless times]. I understand that this is not news you will be happy to see, but please be assured we will be doing all we can to try and mitigate the delays. I’m awaiting a meeting with our production manager to discuss the order, I will let you know any updates ASAP.

Then a density of tedious text about their processes. Nestling in that, if you read every word, was: 
Estimated Delivery & Installation Week: W/C 13th March 2023 - W/C 27th March 2023
so not just any day in March, but installation that may well run into April.

I was angry and upset. I replied, ‘I'll be in touch as soon as I can after I've spoken with [the architect] about the extremely depressing and unexpected news about the delay this will cause to moving back into my home.’

I waited.

When, today, I still hadn’t heard from the architect I phoned him. He asked me blithely about the front door. I told him how angry I was about the delay.
Delay?
Yes, the delay to the end of March in Tuesday’s email.
Ah, I didn't know about that, I, uh, I hadn’t read, ah, below the line. 
And presumably hadn’t read my email to him at all.

I was almost speechless but not totally:
‘I extremely angry and upset. You recommended Ecovia to me and they have broken the contract. I want you to use your influence to get the delivery back on track. There’s a chance that you might order from them again, they know I am never buying windows again. At the very least I want compensation but I’d rather have the windows fitted at the time agreed.’

He said he’d phone them. I know he will not be able to change a thing and that a few weeks hence Ecovia may very well pull some other wordy excuse out of the ether to delay things even further.