Woman forced to move out of home after £5k Wickes bathroom turns it into swamp
A devastated teacher has been forced to move out of her home into a £500-a-week Airbnb after her new Wickes bathroom allegedly turned her house into a "swamp".
Fay Guest, 33, says she was initially delighted when her new bath, shower, sink and toilet worth £5,000 when it was installed by the Barnstaple, North Devon, branch of the home improvement retail chain last month.
But her emotions quickly turned to "disbelief" just three days later when a panicked friend who was cat sitting rang her urging to come home as the two-bedroom house was flooding with water pouring from the ceiling.
Fay rushed home on January 29 to discover her terraced home underwater, describing the incident as a "horror movie" that has destroyed her kitchen and left her without electricity.
She says contacted Wickes on the day of the leak before sharing clips of the devastation on social media on February 13 as she felt she was being 'fobbed off'.
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Fay Guest, 33, has described the incident as a 'horror movie' that has destroyed her kitchen and left her without electricity (Kennedy News/Fay Guest)Shocking footage shows large pools on her carpeted living room, in her kitchen and water-soaked kitchen appliances, while water can also be seen pouring through wooden ceiling beams.
Fay, from Bideford in North Devon, revealed she "went from stunned disbelief to "complete panic" as the water managed to get all the way towards the front of her home.
Describing the scale of the damage, she said: "I walked in to see a swamp, that's the only way I can describe it.
"Even upstairs that wasn't wet felt damp because it was just so full of water. The whole house absolutely stinks now."
The homeowner, who claims an installer confirmed the leak was caused by faulty piping under the bathtub, says she's now been forced to move out of home and has since racked up more than £1,000 in Airbnb fees.
Fay says the leak began in her bathroom before the water entered the downstairs of her home in North Devon (Kennedy News/Fay Guest)
The 'whole house absolutely stinks now' after the leak, she said (Kennedy News/Fay Guest)"I'm devastated. I moved into my house two years ago, and I've been spending time trying to get it nice", she said.
Fay claims she's been told Wickes are "aware of the issue" and that it is being looked into - but says the service they have provided has "not been great" during a "traumatic" experience.
She said: "I'm now at the point where I'm getting sick of being fobbed off. It's a shame it's come to the point where I've put something on Twitter."
A drying team provided by the teacher's insurance company has since ripped up her waterlogged living room carpet, she added, and have been drying out plug sockets that they hope to use for heating and a dehumidifier.
The water entered her kitchen and left her without electricity (Kennedy News/Fay Guest)
Fay moved out the day the leak began and has since spent £1000 in Airbnb fees - while Wickes say they will "remain in contact" (Kennedy News/Fay Guest)A Wickes spokesperson said they were "very sorry to hear about the problem that Miss Guest has experienced" with the installation as their employees "always aim to deliver a high standard of customer service".
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They added: "A designated member of our Customer Relations Team is currently liaising with Miss Guest to understand where we can support and help ease some of the pressures experienced while she goes through the claim process with her insurers.
"Our Customer Relations Team will remain in contact to ensure the issue is fully resolved and that the work is completed as soon as possible, with the best possible care."
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