poor design consultancy - how to complain

[preston888]

If a company produces sub-standard product design services which are only discovered sometime after you have paid them, what's the best way to make a complaint? A company did some design work which I paid for when the final drawings were issued. This work sat on the shelf for 12 months until additional funds could be put into use for ordering custom parts and testing the product etc. I have records of recent emails where they admit several mistakes are their fault and they have made steps to re-submit design drawings. This effort has cost me, their client, a lot of time, picking over the work and requesting revisions and caused delays in starting other tasks, about 25% of their drawings have been revised recently. This is not due to me changing my mind or developing the design, this is due to the design they have recommended being in an unworkable state. Can I ask them for compensation to cover the time I have spent dealing with their mistakes?

 

[ethical PR]

What does it say in your contract?

 

[preston888]

in the beginning they sent a proposal, setting out aims for the work, which was agreed upon. This included the following:

1). Design review of current concept/prototype
2). Value engineering/re-design to create a fully detailed concept design for trial unit
3). Recommendations for manufacture of batch of 100 trial units
4).Creation of complete set of 2D manufacturing drawings required for trial unit

but the work was paid for in full and signed off before the defects were found.

 

[Jim2k]

What were the defects and why were they not spotted prior to sign off? By signing it off surely you agreed all was in order?

 

[bwglaw]

...I have records of recent emails where they admit several mistakes are their fault and they have made steps to re-submit design drawings. This effort has cost me, their client, a lot of time, picking over the work and requesting revisions and caused delays in starting other tasks, about 25% of their drawings have been revised recently.

I presume these emails are post-payment. I suggest that you get round a table with them to resolve the issues as it does appear that they admit to making the mistakes. Did the re-submitted design drawings resolve the mistakes they made and you are now raising the issue of cost, or do the design issues still subsist?

The contract you have with them will no doubt have a part to play in how you move forward.

 

[Billmccallum]

If a company produces sub-standard product design services which are only discovered sometime after you have paid them, what's the best way to make a complaint? A company did some design work which I paid for when the final drawings were issued. This work sat on the shelf for 12 months until additional funds could be put into use for ordering custom parts and testing the product etc. I have records of recent emails where they admit several mistakes are their fault and they have made steps to re-submit design drawings. This effort has cost me, their client, a lot of time, picking over the work and requesting revisions and caused delays in starting other tasks, about 25% of their drawings have been revised recently. This is not due to me changing my mind or developing the design, this is due to the design they have recommended being in an unworkable state. Can I ask them for compensation to cover the time I have spent dealing with their mistakes?

So they delivered 12 months ago and you paid them without checking the work was done correctly?

Then, 12 months later you want them to compensate you for wasting your time??????

Personally, I think they are being showing extreme goodwill by revising now.

 

[preston888]

The project became frozen due to lack of funds so the drawings were not taken forward to the next step of ordering parts and testing etc until 12 months later. Under specific funding rules -related to a part payment grant that was in place for the work, the work had to be signed off immediately to trigger the grant.

Recently work has been done where some of the custom parts made to the drawings, when they arrive, don't actually fit together, due to poor detailing etc the drawing set as it stands, is not functional. About 25% of the drawings have been revised recently due to these types of errors.

 

[atladasmedia]

The project became frozen due to lack of funds so the drawings were not taken forward to the next step of ordering parts and testing etc until 12 months later. Under specific funding rules -related to a part payment grant that was in place for the work, the work had to be signed off immediately to trigger the grant.

Recently work has been done where some of the custom parts made to the drawings, when they arrive, don't actually fit together, due to poor detailing etc the drawing set as it stands, is not functional. About 25% of the drawings have been revised recently due to these types of errors.

The question is if you want the money back or the draws/product to be ready and up to speed so you can proceed with your work. If you indeed lost money because of them, then they should refund you for sure. If you didn't and the delivery is just delayed then maybe work together to have a quick solution in place. I do not think though that it is their fault noone checked the last 12months.

I would personally hand back some of the money to my client despite what the contract says as this is the right and professional thing to do but I guess it will come down to what kind of relationship you have.