I know how you feel, but that would bother me, too. We saved our old stainless dishwasher as a spare for holidays etc. - it wasn't all that old, and we had the room for it. When it was installed, like you I noticed a small dent that was not there before. I mentioned it - contractor volunteered to replace the front panel, no questions asked. Of course, some contractors have the attitude that you are picky in the hopes that you will just let it slide. I'm sure a few do. If you decide to mention it, I'd do it ASAP, so that he can't say it was your doing, not his. Personally, I'd mention it and see what he says. By the way, I used to be quite shy about any kind of "confrontation" when I was younger -but practice makes perfect. Just be matter of fact and tell him how much it bothers you since the backsplash is a focal point- in a nice way, of course!

DO NOT get used to it. DO NOT ignore it. You have every right to have the job done perfectly and to your satisfaction. Afterall, you are paying for it. In the long run, the contractor will benefit from your honestly. You're more likely to recommend a contractor that stands behind his work.

I am usually the first to say "don't let him get away with it". but honestly....if I was otherwise very pleased with his work and he is "just barely getting" by and the damage was not terrible or expensive, I might be inclined to forget it. Maybe I am just feeling like a softie this morning. lol!

Well I think mention it and see what he says. There are scratch and ding removers for stainless which have variable results. I tend to err on the other side of these things. When my replacment double oven was being installed (a very difficult job), the installer ripped my drywall open inadvertantly. We just looked at each other, and I just sighed and said oh well. After then installation, he offered to cart away the old one for free as an apology. We were both happy and I got the drywall fixed later.

When my neighbor ran into my old Volvo, he was really surprised when we told him not to worry about it. The new dings were barely more noticeable than the old dings that the car had accumulated over 22 years. That turned a very aloof neighbor into a very friendly one.

Just another view on things. I must admit though that first ding is always the hardest, and if it is really noticeable it would bug me also. Perhaps he will offer some extra work as compensation, you can get the panel replaced later if the other stuff does not work.

Good feedback all. About my comment that he's "just getting by" -- probably an overstatement, he doesn't have a big company or lots of people working for him but does seem to have plenty of work. I will talk to him about it today (just not looking forward to it), and I'm going to call Broan to see about just getting a new panel, rather than the whole backsplash set which included a couple wire shelves. Maybe that will be slightly less expensive. eastcoastmom said it right -- it is the part of me that's adverse to conflict -- but I agree it gets easier with age and practice!

well, if he has plenty of business, then I agree that he should be held responsible.

We had a guy do a lot of handy-man stuff for us when we were building. My DH is disabled and can't do a lot of stuff, and there's a lot of stuff I WON'T do....like get up on the roof. so we used Danny for things like that. He was a good worker but did damage a few things. I just let it all go...he really WAS just getting by and had a small daughter he was raising on his own. but if you feel a contractor can afford to repair damage he caused, then he should do so.

I'm sure when it happened, it didn't go unnoticed by him. So perhaps he is just waiting to see if you spot it. I think that you spent your "hard earned money" on it, and should have what you paid for. I think you are correct in saying something as soon as possible.

Good luck

When I spoke with him today he said it was there when he peeled off the blue film after installing it. He said he noticed it right away. Why he wouldn't have said anything I don't know, b/c the vent hood was then installed over the top edge of it. I REALLY don't think he's right, because when I came home from work the day it was put up I immediately polished up the backsplash, and I would have seen it. I noticed it right off when I got home yesterday.

At any rate, not wanting to get into a he said she said argument, I called the place I purchased it from (Newegg.com, great deal) and they will replace it (by some stroke of luck the original box is still in the garage). Hopefully I can cobble together the inside packaging to their satisfaction. When I told the contractor this he hemmed and hawed and said it would be a lot of work to take down and replace, it will require taking down the vent hood and some trim, etc etc....my thought is then why in the heck wouldn't you have asked me about this if you noticed it right away, before putting all that stuff up.

I just hope nothing ELSE gets messed up in the process of him replacing it. If so I'll regret not just deciding to live with it. Gosh this is just the most minor kitchen remodel...to think we we were considering building a house. There's no way I have the intestinal fortitude for that.

Sounds like the contractor thought you would just accept his explanation and not follow up. In other words, he was hoping your "nice" personality would get him off the hook. You will likely need to firmly stand your ground on the replacement work and make sure he knows that next time he should point out such issues when they are discovered. If something else does get messed up, then firmly insist they fix it right away.

This type of situation is common when working with contractors. Even busy ones work on small margins and will come up with some amazing stories to avoid having to do something over or pay for a replacement. With practice, you can get good at dealing with these issues.