Dad said yes to the walk-in tub. Good. That is permission to examine a contract, not permission to let a crew open the bathroom wall.
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A walk-in tub sale can bundle a product, demolition, plumbing, electrical work, wall repair, flooring, permits, disposal, and financing into one confident sentence. The contract has to pull those jobs apart. Otherwise, each company can point at the next one when the door leaks or the drain takes forever.
Start with the buyer and the house
The first page should identify the legal name of the company taking the money, its physical address, Dad as the buyer, and the installation address. If you are helping with calls, that does not automatically make you the buyer, guarantor, or owner of the house.
Do not sign in a blank marked buyer merely because the salesperson needs something before leaving. Ask whose payment obligation the signature creates. If Dad owns the house and is making the deal, the paperwork should say so. If someone is signing under a power of attorney, the authority and signature format should be checked before the contract is executed. The contract is not the place to improvise family authority.
Make the quote identify the actual tub
Require the manufacturer, model, orientation, finish, door location, faucet package, seat configuration, drain equipment, and every included accessory. A brochure photo and the phrase comparable model are not specifications.
Measure the route from the exterior door to the bathroom. The quote should say who removes doors, trim, or fixtures if the tub will not pass through, and who restores them. Ask what happens if the selected unit does not fit the doorway, alcove, drain location, or floor structure. The answer belongs in the contract before a deposit changes hands.
Have Dad sit where the seat will be represented on the measured plan. Check which hand works the door, faucet, drain, and shower wand. Confirm that the door can close with his feet and knees inside. This is not a promise that the tub will prevent a fall. It is a fit check before the room is torn apart.
Separate installation from repair
Write the scope as a list of finished conditions. It should say who disconnects and removes the old tub, moves water and drain lines, supplies shutoff valves, makes electrical connections, protects nearby rooms, repairs wall and floor surfaces, hauls away debris, tests the unit, and cleans the site.
Ask what is excluded. Common trouble hides behind phrases such as unforeseen conditions, finish work by owner, or code upgrades extra. Those phrases may be reasonable, but they need a procedure. The contract should say who documents a concealed problem, who prices the change, and whether Dad must approve it in writing before extra work begins.
Do not accept an oral promise that the installer will make it look right. Name the wall material, flooring transition, trim, caulk, paint responsibility, and acceptable limits of the finished repair. The tub can work perfectly while the bathroom remains unusable.
Put permits under one name
Ask the local building authority which permits and inspections apply at Dad’s exact address. St. Louis City says placement of new plumbing fixtures can require a plumbing permit and that plumbing permits are issued to licensed plumbing contractors certified by the city. The city also says separate plumbing and electrical permits may be required when applicable (City of St. Louis Building Division, plumbing and residential permit guidance, collected on Sources).
An address that says St. Louis may be in the city, the county, or a municipality with its own arrangement. Do not let the salesperson guess the jurisdiction. Call the authority for the installation address and ask who must pull each permit, which inspections are required, and how the homeowner can verify final approval.
The contract should assign permits to the contractor and state whether permit work is included in the quoted total. Require the permit numbers before covered work is concealed. Final payment should not arrive before every promised inspection is complete and Dad has copies of the approvals.
Read the warranty as three separate promises
Ask for the complete written warranty before signing. Federal rules require sellers of covered consumer products with written warranties to make the warranty available for examination before sale. Warranty disclosures must identify what is covered, what is excluded, and what the warrantor will provide after a defect or failure (Federal Trade Commission warranty regulations, collected on Sources).
Now divide the paperwork into three columns:
The tub warranty: Who covers the shell, frame, door seal, drain mechanism, faucet, pump, controls, and other components? When does each coverage period begin? Is coverage limited to the original buyer or address?
The labor warranty: Who fixes leaks, loose connections, damaged finishes, or installation errors? Federal warranty rules distinguish product warranties from promises covering workmanship, so do not assume the product warranty pays the installer’s return trip (Federal Trade Commission interpretation of written warranties, collected on Sources).
The service route: Who takes the first call? Who diagnoses the problem? Who removes access panels? Who pays travel, diagnosis, labor, shipping, and replacement parts? A parts warranty is thin comfort if nobody nearby is obligated to install the part.
Get the installer’s workmanship promise in the contract, even if the manufacturer provides a separate product warranty. Record both claim numbers and both mailing addresses. If the seller says registration is required, read the actual warranty language. Federal rules restrict making a returned registration card a condition of coverage under a full warranty, although proof of purchase can still matter (Federal Trade Commission warranty registration guidance, collected on Sources).
Do not confuse a warranty with a service contract
A service plan sold with the tub is a separate agreement. Ask for its full terms and identify the company legally responsible for performance. Check the start point, end point, covered failures, exclusions, claim procedure, cancellation rule, transfer rule, and whether the plan duplicates the manufacturer’s warranty.
Strike through empty spaces before signing. Attach the model sheet, measured drawing, warranty, service agreement, payment schedule, and written scope to the contract. Every attachment should be referenced by name. Keep the advertisement only as evidence of what brought Dad to the table. The signed contract must carry the actual promise.
Find the cancellation line before work starts
If the sale is made in Dad’s home or another location away from the seller’s regular place of business, the Federal Trade Commission’s Cooling-Off Rule may provide a right to cancel within three business days. Coverage has exceptions, so read the notice rather than assuming every bathroom contract qualifies. For a covered sale, the seller must provide a contract or receipt and cancellation forms explaining the right (Federal Trade Commission, Cooling-Off Period for Sales Made at Home or Other Locations, collected on Sources).
Locate the cancellation deadline, delivery method, address, and required form while everyone is calm. Keep proof if Dad cancels. Do not rely on a salesperson’s statement that the cancellation period does not matter because materials have been ordered.
Control payment with completed work
The payment schedule should identify what Dad receives at each stage. Avoid milestones such as substantial progress. Use observable events: the specified unit is delivered undamaged, rough work passes inspection, the tub is installed and tested, finish work is complete, final inspections pass, and the closeout packet is delivered.
The closeout packet should contain the signed contract, approved changes, itemized final invoice, permit and inspection records, model and serial numbers, product warranty, workmanship warranty, service agreement, operating instructions, and claim contacts. Missouri consumer guidance tells homeowners to make full payment only when the contract terms have been met (Missouri Attorney General consumer guidance, collected on Sources).
Dad is not holding up the job by insisting on this. He is buying one working bathroom, not a tub surrounded by five companies with five explanations.
Your next move tonight: Put the quote, contract, warranty, and measured bathroom sketch on one table. Circle every blank, every use of comparable, extra, owner responsibility, or by others, and every promise that appears only in the salesperson’s notes. Send one written request asking the seller to name the exact tub, complete scope, permit owner, warranty labor, repair contact, cancellation route, and final payment milestone before Dad signs.