Hot air?

18 Jan, email to me from MVHR installer:
'I was asked by [architect] to send this invoice over to you for payment. 
We were requested to attend site for a remedial visit to work on a design fault and find a suitable solution for the intake and exhaust duct runs. Allowing us to finish the job when the time arrives for our 2nd fix installation visit.
'We agreed this visit and cost with [architect] which was agreed.
'Please let me know once this has been paid and I can confirm.
'Kind Regards,
'Director, [MVHR company]'

18 Jan, me to architect: 
'Please could you explain to me why I'm being asked to pay for a fault before the system is even installed?'

silence

20 Jan, me to architect: 
'I have not paid this bill. As far as I am concerned I am paying an agreed price for a working system. If an extra charge arises because a mistake was made during the design and installation process I think it is the responsibility of whoever made the mistake, not me. If that is wrong, please could you explain?'

20 Jan, architect to me: 
'Yes, I agree. I’ll speak with [MVHR Company] and get back to you.' 
                So did the architect authorise this or not?

silence

27 Jan, architect to me: 
'You will need to pay the invoice and then we will try and claim it back.'

27 Jan, I phoned the architect and the owner of the firm (John A) answered and said he'd get back to me on Monday 30 Jan.

30 Jan, silence

31 Jan, at our site meeting, the architect told me it was OK to pay.

31 Jan, me to MVHR installer (John B) copying in builder, architect, owner of architect firm and MVHR designer: 
'I have transferred the £210 to your bank account today. I wish to make it clear that this is under duress. I think it is staggeringly unprofessional for there to be an error, or failure of communication between you and [MVHR designer] (or somewhere else in the chain that does not involve me), and for you to expect me to pay for your mistake before installation. I do not accept responsibility for this bill and I have paid now only because I do not want to delay the build any further.'

1 Feb, founder of architect firm (John A) to me: 
'...your accusations of unprofessionalism against me in the email were not reasonable...'

5 Feb, me to owner of architect's firm: 
'The message that has upset you, addressed not to you but to John B at [MVHR installer], suggested that the failure of communication was between [MVHR installer] and [MVHR designer]. See the addressees of my message in the chain below. Your firm, not you personally, was referred to in the brackets: or somewhere else in the chain that does not involve me.
'My first email about this was to architect on Friday 20 January. On 27 January, a week later, he replied, Unfortunately, as [MVHR installer] are separate to [MVHR designer], they will not return until the invoice has been paid, so you will need to pay the invoice and then we will try and claim it back from [MVHR designer]. 
'I was worried about the weakness of this reply, phoned [architect] later in the afternoon to discuss and spoke with you instead. You agreed that the liability was not mine and said you would get back to me the following Monday. On Monday [architect] emailed that he would follow up. On Tuesday he emailed to say that the bank account was safe for me to pay. Nothing about the rights or wrongs of charging me this amount.
'It was only at that point that I increased the temperature of my language and copied in everyone. This is not the way I like to resolve disagreements but 11 days after first querying this with [architect] it felt like the only way to get the wrong corrected.'

I spent nine days waiting for a reply to this (which never came) and wondering why I am paying an architect £350 a week if they cannot have my back when a firm they have recommended makes a mistake. Meanwhile, as a result of my work, the MVHR designer has accepted responsibility and I have been reimbursed. 

On 14 February I gave the architect 7 days notice, as required by our contract. As I pressed send on the email the sun came out.

Finally (posting this on 18 February) I have the energy to record what's been going on.