Had yet another phone call with an idiot today re: the kitchen. After confirming an appointment time for next Tuesday afternoon I thought I'd better ask some specific questions (based on previous experience of workmen turning up and having been given the wrong information, or no information at all):

Me; so, just to confirm, you'll be putting the new subflooring down next Tuesday then?

Them: er, no, someone will be coming to have a look.

M: have a look at what exactly?

T: To see what needs to be done

M: Erm, hasn't the insurance company explained all that? Our kitchen is an exposed dusty concrete floor right now and needs covering urgently, my asthma is really bad because of this.

T: Well, we don't do screed work so that could be a problem.

M: Screed what?

T: making the concrete even.
M: umm, well even if you made the concrete even it would still be several inches below the floor level in the rest of the flat and the cupboards wouldn't fit back in. We need a floating floor.
T: We don't do floating floors.
M: what do you do?
T: Put flooring down.
M: (deep breath)
T: And you have to come to our showroom to choose the flooring you want.
M: um, we already did that, 2 months ago, with a different company.
T: So it's ordered?
M: Well, they brought samples to our house, we picked one, I assume they orderded it.
T: I have no record of that.
M: Well that's because it wasn't your company.
T: Well you'll still need to come in to choose flooring, we don't bring samples out.
M: But we've already ordered them, from the company we met with 2 months ago, I thought you were installing the subflooring, can you please call the insurer and find out what's going on?
T: So we'll keep the appointment for next Tuesday then?
M: yeah why not (I give up)